Soft computing data-driven modeling (DDM) techniques have attracted the attention of many researchers across the globe as they do not require deep knowledge of the complex physical process. In the present research, data-driven based models have been developed using support vector regression (SVR), multilayer perceptron neural network (MLP), radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) and general regression neural networks (GRNN) techniques for predicting the bed depth profile of solids flowing in a rotary kiln. The performances of the developed models were compared and evaluated against the experimental results in terms of statistical measures such as coefficient of determination (R-2), and average absolute relative error (AARE). The obtained results and findings from this research have revealed that data-driven models can predict the bed depth profile of solids flowing in a rotary kiln quite accurately. The SVR-based model exhibited the lowest AARE value of 1.72% and highest R-2 value of 0.9981 while GRNN, RBFNN, and MLP models gave corresponding values of AARE as 3.69%, 55.13%, 98.15% and those of R-2 as 0.9898, 0.0052 and 0.0081, respectively. Moreover, the developed DDM-based models i.e. GRNN, RBFNN, and MLP models overcame the limitations of the existing solutions which involved iterative numerical procedure entailing high degree of computational complexity. (C) 2019 The Society of Powder Technology Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. and The Society of Powder Technology Japan. All rights reserved.