In this work, two different methods for particle characterization, namely focused beam reflectance and small angle static light scattering, are quantitatively compared. The results are presented in the form of moment ratios of the particle size distribution, i.e., the number weighted diameter, D-1/0, and the volume weighted diameter, D-4/3, for a broad range of particle size distributions ranging from 20 to 400 mu m. Various aqueous dispersions including narrow, broad, and bimodal particle size distributions of spherical shaped ceramic beads were used in the comparison. It was found that the moment ratios obtained by focused beam reflectance measurements and small angle static light scattering correlate well, in the case of spherical particles. Furthermore, it was found that the D-1/0, values obtained by focused beam reflectance measurements are more sensitive to the presence of a small fraction of fine particles in a bimodal distribution than those obtained by small angle static light scattering.