Sectional (zero order) methods constitute a very important class of methods for the solution of the population balance equation offering distinct advantages compared to their competitors, namely, higher order and moment methods. For the last ten years a particular sectional method, the so-called fixed pivot technique has been the most extensively used in the scientific community for the solution of the coagulation equation because it offers arbitrary grid choice and conservation of two moments of the particle size distribution. Very recently, a new method (called cell average technique) has been developed which gives more accurate results than the fixed point technique. In the present work, the extension of this new method in order to conserve three moments is attempted. A stable algorithm for the solution of the coagulation equation is developed. Although the new method allows improved computation of moments of practical interest, this is not always the case with respect to complete particle size distribution. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.