The holdup distribution and pressure drop of five different wire-mesh pads have been investigated experimentally. The wire-mesh pad porosities ranged from 93.4 to 98.4 vol% and were tested at 1 bar with air as gas phase and water as the liquid phase. The liquid holdup in the mesh pads was measured at three locations. The results show variations in the holdup profile of the pads depending on geometry, surface area, gas velocity and measuring height. The results show that the Souders-Brown equation is a poor correlation for low pressure mesh pad design and identifies several mechanisms relevant for wire-mesh pad design. The data show that there is a strong correlation between surface area of the mesh pad and the flooding point. (C) 2010 The Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.