Abstract A flow-sediment rating curve is used to describe the relation between flow discharge and suspended-sediment concentration for a specific location. Five types of flow-sediment rating curves - single-valued line, clockwise loop, counterclockwise loop, single-valued line plus loop, and figure eight - were found to rely on the flow and available sediment arriving at the measuring site. In this study, equations for flow and sediment travel time were derived according to soil, rainfall, and watershed geomorphologic characteristics. The hysteresis of the rating curve was related to the travel times by a series of numerical tests. Field data collected from the Goodwin Creek Experimental Watershed, Mississippi, United States were used to verify the proposed rating curve hysteresis analysis. The results indicate that when the flow travel time is more extended than the sediment travel time, the rating curve shows a clockwise loop. A counterclockwise loop in the rating curve shows that the flow travel time is less extended than the sediment travel time. If the flow travel time exceeds the sediment travel time in specific runoff states and is less than the sediment travel time in other runoff states, then a single line plus a loop rating curve or a figure-eight rating curve is observed. The criterion for the model parameters to obtain equalization of the flow and sediment travel times was derived, which can identify the type of flow-sediment rating curve in a specific watershed.