The bulk flow and local impact velocities of loose abrasive particles in vibratory finishing operations have been explained in the literature in terms of the forces exerted by the vibrating container walls. In the present work, these forces were measured using a force sensor embedded in the walls of a vibrating tub finisher loaded with various amounts of steel media and subject to different vibration frequencies. It was found that wall-media contact forces increased with the depth of media above the sensor and with the normal wall velocity, which explained why wall forces remained approximately unchanged with varying media mass, but increased with increasing tub frequency. The average impulse of the wall on the media increased with increasing media mass and decreased with increasing frequency of vibration. The work done by the walls was also measured and was found to increase with increasing tub frequency for a fixed media mass. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.