At present there is no unified, widely recognized method of estimation of the dependency between the liquid transfer coefficient and the moisture content in material. It is possible to determine such relation by several methods requiring long-term and laborious experimental research, expensive apparatus and complex calculating procedures. The original method of determination of the liquid transfer coefficient in building materials is presented in this work. This method is limited to obtaining experimental data of the kinetics of one-way capillary water uptake by specimens and calculations based on the suggested model. Accuracy of the given method was confirmed using experimental results of capillary absorption process of lightweight concrete and ceramic material. Since the suggested method is theoretically grounded and its accuracy is comparable with other known methods and at the same time it is less laborious and cost-consuming, it can be recommended for practical application. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.