In order to clarify the conditions conducive to propagation of premixed flames in quiescent sprays, a one-dimensional code with detailed chemistry and transport was used. n-Heptane and n-decane, distinguished by their volatility, were studied under atmospheric and low temperature, low pressure conditions. The effects of initial droplet diameter, overall equivalence ratio ϕ 0 and droplet residence time before reaching the flame front were examined. Increasing the residence time had an effect only for n-heptane, with virtually no evaporation occurring before the flame front for n-decane. The trends were only marginally correlated with the local gaseous equivalence ratio ϕ eff at the location of maximum heat release rate. ϕ eff could be as low as 0.4 (beyond the lean flammability limit), but the flame speed could still be 40% of the gaseous stoichiometric flame speed S L,0 . For n-heptane, ϕ eff increased towards ϕ 0 with smaller droplets while high flame speeds occurred when ϕ eff was near 1. This implied that the highest flame speed was achieved with small droplets for ϕ 0 ⩽ 1 and with relatively large droplets for ϕ 0 > 1. In the latter case, the oxidiser was completely consumed in the reaction zone and droplets finished evaporating behind the flame where the fuel was pyrolysed. The resulting small species, mainly C 2H 2, C 2H 4 and H 2, diffused back to the oxidation zone and enhanced the reaction rate there. Ultimately, this could result in flame speeds higher than S L,0 even with ϕ 0 = 4. For n-decane, the same trends were followed but smaller droplets were needed to reach the same ϕ eff due to the slow evaporation rate. Under low pressure and low temperature, the effects of pressure and temperature on ϕ eff and the flame speed were competitive and resulted in values close to the ones at atmospheric conditions.