Quantitative, consistent and automated characterisation of granular and particulate materials is becoming increasingly desirable in many industrial sectors. This presentation will report recent advances in the development of digital imaging and image processing techniques for on-line and off-line characterisation of granular and particulate materials. Low-cost imaging hardware is employed in conjunction with advanced image processing algorithms in order to ensure the cost-effectiveness of the developed systems. A range of quantitative parameters is derived from the images, including particle size, aspect ratio, shape factor and their distributions. Systems operating on this principle have advantages over conventional techniques in that they are non-intrusive, non-destructive, efficient and cost effective. The developed techniques have been applied for the classification of granular foodstuffs, biomass materials and pulverized coal. On-line work is focused on the continuous measurement of a set of variables for pneumatically conveyed pulverized coal and biomass. The techniques developed have been applied to quantify the characteristics of pulverized coal and biomass blends on an industrial scale combustion test facility.