A porous chuck table for holding a plate-like workpiece under suction includes a porous plate having a porous structure, the porous plate having a holding surface for holding the workpiece under suction thereon, and a frame surrounding the porous plate and having a face side lying flush with the holding surface. The porous plate is at least made of spherical glass particles, adjacent ones of the glass particles are partly joined together, and interstices between adjacent ones of the partly joined glass particles function as pores through which a fluid can flow.