  We have derived an empirical calibration of the abundance of S/H as a
function of the S23 parameter, defined using the bright sulphur lines of [SII]
and SIII]. Contrary to what is the case for the widely used O$_{23}$ parameter,
the calibration remains single valued up to the abundance values observed in
the disk HII regions. The calibration is based on a large sample of nebulae for
which direct determinations of electron temperatures exist and the sulphur
chemical abundances can be directly derived. ICFs, as derived from the [SIV]
10.52 $\mu$ emission line (ISO observations), are shown to be well reproduced
by Barker's formula for a value of alpha = 2.5. At any rate, only about 30% of
the objects in the sample require ICFs larger than 1.2. The use of the proposed
calibration opens the possibility of performing abundance analysis with red to
IR spectroscopic data using S/H as a metallicity tracer.
