An original model and code for 3-D radiation of anisotropically scattering gray media is developed where radiative transfer equation (RTE) is solved by finite volume method (FVM) and scattering phase function (SPF) is defined by Mie Equations (ME). To the authors' best knowledge this methodology was not developed before. Missing the benchmark, another new 3-D model and code, which solve the same problems, based oil a combination of zone method (ZM) and Monte Carlo method (MC), as a solution of RTE, is developed. Here SPF is also calculated by Mie Equations. The conception ZM + MC is numerically expensive and is used and recommended only as a benchmark. The 3-D rectangular enclosure and the spherical geometry of particles are considered. The both models are applied: (i) to an isotropic and to four anisotropic scattering cases previously used in literature for 2-D cases and (ii) to solid particles of several various coals and of a fly ash. The agreement between the predictions obtained by these two different numerical methods for coals and ash is very good. The effects of scattering albedo and of wall reflectivity on the radiative heat flux are presented. It was found that the developed 3-D model, where FVM was coupled with ME, is reliable and accurate. The methodology is also suitable for extension towards: (i) mixture of non-gray gases with particles and (ii) incorporation in computational fluid dynamics. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.