A system has been developed which is capable of performing major maceral group analysis, using image analysis, based on morphological features as well as grey scale shading. The main advantage of the system lies in its ability to distinguish liptinite from resin. The potential problems with the system have, in practice, proved to be minor and have not noticeably affected the results obtained. However, more noticeable problems may be encountered with fine coal particles. The method has been modified to measure ＇＇reactive＇＇ fractions of coal and a method using fluorescence is being developed for liptinite determination.