The drag force on aggregates and partially sintered agglomerates is assessed using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) and accelerated Stoke-sian dynamics (ASD). Both methods have been compared in terms of accuracy and computational effort. It is shown that they give comparable results if all numerical parameters are controlled carefully. LBM requires a much higher computational effort, however, in contrast to ASD it is able to simulate partially sintered agglomerates as well. The results show that even a very small amount of sintering leads to a significant reduction in the drag force. The analysis of the drag force on agglomerates as well as on aggregates shows that there is no simple geometric quantity which is uniquely related to the drag force. Moreover, there is a significant variation in drag force for single aggregates at different orientations or for the orientation averaged drag force of different aggregates of the same size. This is explained by the structural effects which may lead to a variation in the drag force up to +/- 20%. (c) 2006 Published by Elsevier Inc.