Abstract: The sugar-based hard carbon cathode materials are synthesized via high-temperature carbonization using sugars with varying molecular weights as precursors. The microstructure is characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Subsequently, hard carbon electrodes are fabricated to evaluate their sodium storage performance. The results demonstrate that the starch-derived hard carbon with a high molecular weight exhibits larger interlayer spacing and increased disorder, resulting in a higher reversible capacity of 273.2 mAh g⁻¹. Even after 100 cycles, the starch-derived hard carbon electrode maintains a reversible capacity of 252.8 mAh g⁻¹ with an impressive capacity retention rate of 92.5%.