Oil-water dispersions have many important applications in the chemical and oleochemical industries. A measure of the specific interfacial area of the dispersed phase provides a direct indication of the quality of the dispersion. In this study, the specific interfacial area for the palm oil-water system was determined using a microscopic technique. The effects of oil volume fraction, agitation speed and temperature on the specific interfacial area have been determined experimentally and an empirical correlation to predict the total specific interfacial area under different operating conditions is proposed. This correlation can be used in the design of reaction and non-reaction systems using palm oil-water dispersions. (C) 2004 Society of Chemical Industry.