A series of industrial powders, most of them organic, were characterized in terms of volumetric mean size, size distribution, density, particle shape, water rentention characteristics (under a series of controlled ambient relative humidities) and loosely packed and densely packed voidages (giving the compressibility). The behaviour of the powders in powder handling apparatus (a precision powder filler) was also determined. The minimum and maximum bulk densities of the powders were related to the properties of the individual particles by means of a semi-empirical equation. The filling capacity of the powder handling apparatus was found to be related to the maximum bulk density of the powder while the filling accuracy turned out to be related to the compressibility of the powder. Knowing these interrelations made it possible to predict the powder behaviour in the handling apparatus directly on basis of the particle properties.