Wound Bed Preparation (WBP) can be described as the management of the wound to accelerate endogenous healing or to facilitate the effectiveness of other therapeutic measures. The 4 basic aspects of WBP can now be represented by an acronym, TIME. T= tissue (non-viable or deficient). I= infection or inflammation. M= moisture control. E= epidermal margin. Focusing on the “M” in TIME, there are numerous absorbent dressings that are intended to fulfill this need. Typically exudate is caused by the breakdown of necrotic tissue, an inflammatory response or edema due to venous disease. Failure to manage wound exudate can result in pooling of excess fluid under the dressing and maceration. As wound dressings are introduced it becomes important to determine their moisture control properties. The purpose of this study is to investigate the moisture control properties of a variety of foam dressings in vitro to gain insight into their functionality in the clinic. The dressings were evaluated on 3 aspects: Total Absorbency, Fluid Retention Capacity and Fluid Handling Capacity. The data indicated that there are marked differences in some dressings in terms of total absorbency, fluid retention under compression & overall fluid handling ability. However, these differences can largely be explained by the foam structure as well as the moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR) of the top film of the dressing. For instance some foams have an “open cell” structure; whereas, others have “closed foam” structure”. Some dressings employ a top film of high MVTR, while others do not. One notable finding was that the use of a high moisture vapor transmission top film and a change in the make up of given foam dressing can drastically improve the rate of absorption and overall fluid handling capability.