Many powders show a characteristic behavior when sheared, known as stick-slip. For such powders, when sheared under a normal load, once the peak shear point has been reached, the shear stress values start oscillating. The causes of stick-slip at particle level and the factors affecting this behavior are not well understood. In the present work, the stick-slip behavior of three dairy powders, a skim milk powder, a whole milk powder and a cream powder, has been studied with an annular shear cell with the aim of identifying factors affecting the observed behavior. Tests were conducted in a constant temperature room at 25 degrees C, 30 degrees C and 37 degrees C and in each case at normal loads of 9.5 kPa, 7.74 kPa, 4.37 kPa and 2.52 kPa. Both period and amplitude were dependent on normal stress for all powders at all temperatures tested. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.