In the title coordination polymer, [Zn(5)(μ(3)-OH)(2)(1,4-CDC)(4)](n) (1,4-CDCH(2) = 1,4-cyclo-hexa-nedicarboxylic acid) or [Zn(5)(C(8)H(10)O(4))(4)(OH)(2)](n), the asymmetric unit comprises one half of an octa-hedrally coordinated ZnO(6) complex unit (site symmetry ) and two five-coordinate ZnO(5) complex units, together with two μ(3)-bridging hydroxido ligands and four 1,4-CDC ligands (comprising two whole mol-ecules and four inversion-related half-molecules). The ZnO(6) unit consists of four carboxyl-ate O donors (two bridging) and two hydroxido O donors (both bridging three Zn centres) [Zn-O range 2.065 (3)-2.125 (3) Å]. Each of the ZnO(5) units [one capped tetra-hedral, the other square-pyrimidal; Zn-O range 1.928 (3)-2.338 (3) Å] has one hydroxido O donor and four carboxyl O donors from three different 1,4-CDC carboxyl-ate O donors (one bridging). Infinite (ZnO)(n) inorganic chains run parallel to the a axis and are interconnected by the organic ligands into a three-dimensional structure.