The attenuation of the sound energy produced by a liquid contained in a cylindrical shaped container depends on the liquid's viscosity, the sound frequency, and the tube wall thickness. By measuring the acoustic impedance caused by the interaction of sound waves moving in a system composed of a liquid material in a cylindrical shaped container information about the viscosity of the liquid material was obtained. Impedance measurements can also provide sound velocity in the liquid medium as another important physical characteristic of the sample. In this study an impedance tube method was applied to measure the properties of liquids contained in cylindrical shaped cans. It is shown that the technique can be used as a nondestructive and quick quality control tool to estimate both the consistency and the solid content of the materials placed in the containers. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.