ISO International Standard

This document specifies a method for rapid determination of water content in soils. The method is based on refractive index measurement of a sucrose solution after it is mixed with a soil sample.

It is applicable to the determination of water content in geological or geotechnical research as well as geotechnical engineering. In addition, it can be used for commercial work in a variety of fields, e.g. agriculture and civil engineering.

The working range is up to approximately 50 % moisture content. The precision of the method typically ranges between 0,5 % and 1 % and depends on the type of refractometer that is used.

The result of this method is strongly influenced by soil matrices. Higher contents of clay and/or organic matter will lead to significant lower values for water content compared to standard methods such as that described in ISO 11465.