The discrete element method (DEM) is commonly used for simulating the mechanical characteristics of rock materials; however, constructing a DEM model requires the specification of a number of microparameters. In this paper, to obtain the microparameters of the DEM model, the improved particle swarm optimization (PSO) calibration method was presented. Based on numerical simulation examples, the new approach is considered valid for calibrating the microparameters of the DEM model. Moreover, it is concluded that different sets of microparameters can be determined when few macroparameters are used, which indicates that the empirical formula between microparameters and macroparameters is not reliable. From the analysis of the numerical simulation results, it is suggested that more macroparameters should be used to calibrate the microparameters of the DEM model, and the corresponding numerical simulation results could be more reliable; otherwise, the generated numerical model may not accurately simulate the mechanical characteristics of rock materials. (c) 2020 The Society of Powder Technology Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. and The Society of Powder Technology Japan. All rights reserved.