An experimental study was conducted, in which synthetic samples made of construction grout and pyrite grains were subjected to high voltage pulses in a single-particle and single-pulse mode, in order to investigate the effect of electrical breakdown channel locality on particle breakage behaviour. The data confirm that the locality of electrical breakdown channel dominates the breakage response of particles. When a breakdown channel passes along the axis of a particle, it generates a finer product and produces more cracks/microcracks on the fragments. The electrical breakdown channel locality is controlled by the grains of minerals with high conductivity/permittivity and their location in a particle under the identical machine settings. The outcomes using the synthetic samples are helpful in understanding the breakage behaviour of natural ore particles in electrical comminution. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.