A discrete 3D model has been developed for the prediction of static liquid holdup in cylindrical packed beds of spheres incorporating the local structural properties of the packing. The model predictions have been compared to experimental data covering a wide range of relevant physical properties of liquid-solid systems for aspect ratios d(t)/d(P) between 3.5 and 25. A notably good agreement between prediction and experiments is observed. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.