A finite element homogenization method for a shear actuatedd15 macro-fibre composite (MFC) made of seven layers (Kapton, acrylic, electrode,piezoceramic fibre and epoxy composite, electrode, acrylic, Kapton) is proposed and usedfor the characterization of its effective material properties. The methodology isfirst validated for the MFC active layer only, made of piezoceramic fibre andepoxy, through comparison with previously published analytical results. Then, themethodology is applied to the seven-layer MFC. It is shown that the packagingreduces significantly the shear stiffness of the piezoceramic material and, thus,leads to significantly smaller effective electromechanical coupling coefficientk15 and piezoelectricstress constant e15 when compared to the piezoceramic fibre properties. However, it is found that the piezoelectric chargeconstant d15 is less affected by the softer layers required by the MFC packaging.