Cylindrical particles are widely used in chemical engineering for process intensification due to their high surface area [1,2]. However, reliable data on the orientation of non-spherical particles in random packed beds remains scarce [3,4], and the impact of particle orientation on fluid flow has not been thoroughly investigated in real packing geometries. This study employs a novel experimental approach [5] to systematically analyse the global and local orientation of cylindrical particles in random packed beds. Five column-to-particle diameter ratios (Dc/Dp) were examined, ranging from 4 to 15.1. Orientation distributions were measured for the entire bed, excluding the bottom region, and in the core zone. Experimental cases were reconstructed numerically with varying packing densities, and the effect of orientation distributions on pressure drop was evaluated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations for both full cylinders (FC) and Raschig rings (RR). The results demonstrate that reproducibility of particle orientation distributions depends on the number of particles per layer. The column wall and bottom significantly influence particle orientation, with notable changes observed as Dc/Dp increases. For FC, the effect of orientation on pressure drop was moderate (<10%), but for RR, pressure drop variations reached up to 400% between extreme orientation distributions. These findings highlight the importance of particle orientation in packed beds, particularly for pressure drop and flow dynamics. This study provides new experimental data and numerical insights into the orientation of cylindrical particles, offering a foundation for optimizing packed bed designs in chemical engineering applications. The results suggest that particle orientation is a critical parameter influencing flow uniformity, radial spreading, and liquid holdup, warranting further investigation.