The performance and exhaust emissions of a direct injection diesel engine were experimentally investigated using 2 biodiesel fuels with promising economic perspective, one obtained from inedible animal tallow and the other from waste cooking oils. Inedible animal tallow, which is obtained from a mixture of slaughtered cattle and sheep fats collected from a local slaughterhouse during meat preparation process, was transesterified using methyl alcohol and an alkaline catalyst to produce the inedible animal tallow methyl ester. Biodiesel from waste cooking oil was produced from waste cooking oils and methyl alcohol via a transesterification reaction, and provided by a commercial biodiesel producer. In order to investigate the performance and exhaust emissions, the experiments were conducted at different engine speeds under the full load condition of the engine. The experimental results showed, compared with diesel fuel, that the biodiesel fuels resulted in a reduction in brake torque and in an increase in brake specific fuel consumption. Although both biodiesels caused reductions in carbon monoxide (CO), the $NO_x$ emissions were higher for waste cooking oil biodiesel and lower for inedible animal tallow biodiesel as compared to diesel fuel.