The adsorption of hydrogen on clean Pd(110) and Pd(111) surfaces as well as on a Pd(111) surface with regular step arrays was studied by means of LEED, thermal desorption spectroscopy and contact potential measurements. Absorption in the bulk plays an important role but could be separated from the surface processes. With Pd(110) an ordered 1 × 2 structure and with Pd(111) a 1 × 1 structure was formed. Maximum work function increases of 0.36, 0.18 and 0.23 eV were determined with Pd(110), Pd(111) and the stepped surface, respectively, this quantity being influenced only by adsorbed hydrogen under the chosen conditions. The adsorption isotherms derived from contact potential data revealed that at low coverages θ ∞ √ p H 2 , indicating atomic adsorption. Initial heats of H 2 adsorption of 24.4 kcal/mole for Pd(110) and of 20.8 kcal/mole for Pd(111) were derived, in both cases E ad being constant up to at least half the saturation coverage. With the stepped surface the adsorption energies coincide with those for Pd(111) at medium coverages, but increase with decreasing coverage by about 3 kcal/mole. D 2 is adsorbed on Pd(110) with an initial adsorption energy of 22.8 kcal/mole.