3D measurements of burning coal particles in the flame are challenging and of great interest. Digital inline holography is applied to perform 3D measurement of coal particle size and 3D position in a laboratory-scale pulverized coal flame. Pulsed laser beam illumination is used to record the coal particle hologram with clear holographic fringes in the presence of high refractive index gradient and strong turbulence. Over 30,000 coal particles have been reconstructed and analyzed. Results show that the particle size, 3D positions and particle number density distribution can be determined simultaneously. Digital inline holography presents to be a powerful tool in the 3D measurement of burning particles in a turbulent and reacting medium. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.