A simple method of quantification of liquid distribution efficiency was employed to characterize a packed column (diameter, 0.4 m; height, 1.8 m), on a pilot scale, operated with 1-in. plastic Pall rings. Two distribution efficiency factors-global and dispersion-were defined from a normal tridimensional surface. The global efficiency is derived from the amplitude, and the dispersion efficiency, from the distribution variance. Two series of tests were run. In the first series, just one pipe was employed to feed the column. In the second series, the tests were run with a pipe lateral distributor representative of commercial application. Without the packing, the distance between the distributor and the column base was varied. The greatest dispersion efficiency values from the first series were smaller than the smallest values from the second series, which showed that the packing per se does not promote good distribution. The efficiency values showed that the smaller the distance between the distributor and the packing surface, the better the initial distribution is.