The role of particles in the fate and speciation of trace metals in macrotidal estuaries was studied using a surface complexation model (MOCO). Cadmium was selected as the target metal contaminant due to its reactivity in estuaries: cadmium behavior is mainly controlled by heterogeneous processes (sorption/desorption) related to salinity and suspended matter gradients. Various scenarios of suspended matter distribution according to salinity were simulated. The impact of surface properties (specific surface area, density of surface sites, acido-basic properties, and complexation constant) was evaluated using data collected on particles from the Gironde, Loire, and Seine estuaries. Our results show that particle surface properties, evaluated on the basis of various parameters, are instrumental in "non-conservative" contaminant speciation in the estuarine environment. Their evaluation enables us to understand and simulate, to a large extent, the fate of "Cd-type" contaminants (whose behavior is controlled by competition between sorption and desorption processes). The natural variations of these properties can be responsible for significant modifications of the Cd speciation in the macrotidal estuaries where salinity and SM gradients are very strong.