Abstract: To address the problem that the strength and permeability of coal briquettes used in physical similarity simulation tests differ significantly from those of raw coal, this study investigates the pore structure, mechanical and seepage characteristics of coal samples with different ranks after hot-pressing, and reveals the influence mechanism of coal rank on the properties of hot-pressed coal briquettes. Using a self-developed hot-pressed coal briquette forming system, hot-pressed coal briquette specimens of four different coal ranks are prepared. The pore structure characteristics of hot-pressed coal briquettes and raw coal with different coal ranks are comprehensively characterized and compared via high-pressure mercury intrusion and low-pressure nitrogen adsorption tests. Uniaxial compression and triaxial seepage tests are conducted to analyze the influence of coal rank on the mechanical and seepage properties of hot-pressed briquettes. Finally, based on the key parameters obtained, the similarity between hot-pressed coal briquettes and raw coal is quantitatively evaluated using a Euclidean distance-based similarity measurement method. Results indicate that in terms of pore structure, with the increase of coal rank, the most probable pore diameter of hot-pressed coal briquettes first increases and then decreases, and the pore connectivity first enhances and then weakens. In terms of mechanical and seepage properties, uniaxial compressive strength and elastic modulus of hot-pressed coal briquettes decrease gradually with increasing coal rank, while initial permeability first increases and then decreases. Similarity analysis indicates that hot-pressed lignite briquettes exhibit the highest similarity to their raw coal, with the most probable pore diameter being 0.8 times that of raw coal, uniaxial compressive strength of 13.04 MPa, elastic modulus of 1.012 times that of raw coal, peak principal stress difference of 0.98 times that of raw coal, and initial permeability of 1.3 times that of raw coal. Hot-pressed coal briquettes of other coal ranks still show certain gaps compared with their corresponding raw coal. However, compared with conventional cold-pressed briquettes, all hot-pressed briquettes of different coal ranks show increased strength and reduced permeability, and this modification effect gradually weakens with increasing coal rank, indicating that coal rank is a key factor influencing the performance improvement of hot-pressed coal briquettes.