This article reports optimization and kinetic studies on extraction of Sterculia foetida seed oil and process optimization for biodiesel production from the same. The oil extraction follows first-order kinetics, and the yield was found to reach a maximum of 55.58 wt % for a 1:12 seed-to-hexane weight ratio. The activation energy and activation thermodynamic parameters at 338 K were determined as E_a = 69.441 kJ mol^–1, ΔH^‡ = 66.63 kJ mol^–1, ΔS^‡ = −238.07 J mol^–1 K^–1, and ΔG^‡ = 147.09 kJ mol^–1. Complete physicochemical properties of the oil were analyzed using standard methods. The low acid value of 0.42 mg of KOH g^–1 for fresh oil enables alkali catalytic transesterification. Different biodiesel production parameters including methanol-to-oil molar ratio, catalyst concentration, and reaction temperature were examined. An optimum yield of 95.4 wt % with a conversion of 98.91% was achieved at values of 6:1, 0.9 wt %, and 338 K, respectively. The fuel properties of the produced biodiesel were compared with the ASTM D6751 biodiesel standard.