Experiments have been carried out to measure the profile of the depth of a bed of sand flowing at steady state through an inclined, rotating cylinder fitted with a dam. Results are given for cylindrical and conical dams fitted at the end of the cylinder, and for cylindrical and conical internal dams, fitted halfway along the cylinder. The results are compared to the model of Saeman and of Kramers and Croockewit; the agreement is good, showing that the model is a useful predictor for flow over darns as well as for flow through cylinders without dams. The results are relevant to industrial kilns, which often contain conical brickwork darns at the discharge end and part way along the kiln. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.