ISO 22412:2017 specifies the application of dynamic light scattering (DLS) to the measurement of average hydrodynamic particle size and the measurement of the size distribution of mainly submicrometre-sized particles, emulsions or fine bubbles dispersed in liquids. DLS is also referred to as "quasi-elastic light scattering (QELS)" and "photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS)," although PCS actually is one of the measurement techniques.

ISO 22412:2017 is applicable to the measurement of a broad range of dilute and concentrated suspensions. The principle of dynamic light scattering for a concentrated suspension is the same as for a dilute suspension. However, specific requirements for the instrument setup and specification of test sample preparation are required for concentrated suspensions. At high concentrations, particle-particle interactions and multiple light scattering can become dominant and can result in apparent particle sizes that differ between concentrated and dilute suspensions.