The methodology for measuring the oxidation parameters for pulverised coal combustion from drop-tube tests is reviewed, and some modifications to the traditional procedure (based on Arrhenius plots) are proposed. The work includes the experimental characterisation of an anthracite's combustion in a drop-tube furnace, which will be used as the reference data. One of the main points in the discussion is the consideration of a particle-size distribution instead of a single representative diameter. Since a true monosized sample cannot be obtained by sieving, the particles injected always display a size distribution and, therefore, the experimental results are the outcome of a range of oxidation rates. As a result, the assumption of a single particle size cannot explain some aspects of the experimental results (e.g., the "curvature" of the burnoff curve) and may lead to significant deviations in the calculated parameters. On the other hand, an alternative method for deriving the parameters, based on calculating the particle's full combustion history, is proposed. The analysis presented here enables a more systematic and unambiguous approach for deriving the kinetic parameters for oxidation from experimental measurements. If the actual particle-size distribution is taken into account, the calculations are in good agreement with the experimental results and, in particular, reproduce the progressive decay in apparent oxidation rate while the fuel burns. Even though the deviations might still be reduced by using a more sophisticated model (e.g., accounting for heterogeneity in the particles' properties, or deactivation phenomena), the results obtained suggest that such corrections should be relatively small, the correct treatment of the size distribution of the particles being more important in this case. (c) 2005 The Combustion Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.