We have used high real-space resolution pulsed neutron diffraction to investigate the structure of fibre-forming Ge-based multicomponent sulphide glasses. Diffraction patterns were measured up to a maximum momentum transfer of 40 Å −1 for a series of seven samples from the stoichiometric system Ge 25(As,Ga) 10S 65, with Ga contents from 0 to 10 at.%. The correlation functions all have three principal peaks at 2.23, 2.97 and 3.49 Å. The first principal peak in the correlation functions is predominantly due to Ge–S bonds, together with smaller contributions from As–S and Ga–S bonds. The second principal peak is due to cation–cation distances between edge-sharing structural units. The third principal peak is due mostly to S–S distances within structural units. There is also fine structure around the first peak of the correlation functions, consisting of a small `pre-peak' at ∼2.0 Å and a larger and broader shoulder at ∼2.5 Å. There are no detectable changes with composition in the pre-peak, whilst the shoulder grows as gallium is added to the glass. The position of the pre-peak, 2.0 Å, is consistent with either S 2 2− disulphide groups within a structural unit, or with S–S bonds in the network, due to chemical disorder. According to the chemical disorder model, the peak at 2.5 Å is due to Ge–Ge bonds in the network. If gallium is tetrahedrally coordinated then the number of these bonds must increase as gallium replaces arsenic. Such an increase is observed in the experimental data and hence the chemical disorder model is preferred over the disulphide model.