Experiments were conducted to determine the effect of sample type and concentration on the diffuse reflectance infrared fourier transform (DRIFT) spectra of unbleached softwood kraft and thermomechanical pulps, microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel) and kraft lignin (Indulin AT). The absorption of characteristic bands, in Kubelka-Munk units, was followed as a function of sample concentration in potassium bromide, and, in the case of the two pulps, was also determined on handsheets. Anomalous dispersion occurred at concentrations of 1% or below. This phenomenon resulted in a decrease of absorption of specific bands with increasing concentration and was particularly significant for kraft pulp, less important for thermomechanical pulp and microcrystalline cellulose, and practically absent in pure kraft lignin. These effects of specular reflectance could not be completely eliminated by diluting the sample in a non-absorbing matrix, as previously claimed, but could only be minimized at low concentrations.