Using a mineral liberation analyser (MLA), the shape properties of an iron-oxide hosted copper-gold ore following comminution in either a hammer mill or a piston-die compression unit were examined. It was found that particle angularity distributions were able to be fitted to the beta distribution, providing a convenient way to quantify changes in particle shape properties as a function of the breakage method employed. Particles discharged from the hammer mill were less angular than particles discharged from the piston-die compression unit. This was attributed to attrition breakage mechanisms, whereby topographical features are chipped off parent particle surfaces. The results suggest that the quantification of shape properties is a convenient method for obtaining insight into the nature of breakage events that take place inside comminution devices. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.