This study covers the shear strength measurements of filter cakes from very fine fractions of different minerals (TiO2, calcite fractions, kaolin, labosil and synthetically prepared glass spheres). The dependence of the shear strength of filter cakes on the applied pressure, particle size and particle shape has been analyzed. It has been found from the laboratory scale experiments that the shear strength of ail analyzed materials is strongly dependent on the applied filtration pressure: The higher the pressure, the greater the shear strength. The shear strength also increases with the decreasing particle size. Particle shape has also a very substantial effect on the shear strength of the cake. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.