A method is presented that makes the classification of bed forms, the prediction of the bed‐form dimensions and the effective hydraulic roughness of the bed forms feasible. The proposed relationships are based on the analysis of reliable flume and field data. A verification analysis using about 1,500 (alternative) reliable flume and field data shows good results in predicting the hydraulic roughness (friction factor). For field conditions, the proposed method yields considerably better results than previously proposed methods, which are reviewed here. The proposed method has also been used to predict the flow depth and the total bed‐material load.