Density of Different Types of Soil
Soil density is determined by various factors, such as the type of soil particles (sand, silt, clay), moisture content, and compaction. Generally, soils that contain a higher percentage of clay particles have a higher density when compared to sandy soils. Soil density can affect various soil properties, including water retention, permeability, and porosity.
The following table provides a list of apparent density values for different soils at standard room temperature (approximately 20°C or 68°F) and 1 atmospheric (atm) pressure. (1 atm = 101,325 Pa)
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| Quartz sand (dry) | 1600 |
| Quartz sand (wet) (4-23 wt% water) | 1700 |
| Sand, Northway (4-10 wt% water) | 1700 |
| Sand, quartz (wet) (4-23 wt% water) | 1700 |
| Soil (average) | 1300 |
| Soil, clayey (wet) | 1500 |
| Soil, fine quartz flour (dry) | 880 |
| Soil, fine quartz flour (21 wt% water) | 1820 |
| Soil, loam (dry) | 1200 |
| Soil, loam (4-27 wt% water) | 1600 |
| Soil, sandy (8 wt% water) | 1750 |
| Soil, sandy dry | 1650 |
Related Tables
References: 1) Cardarelli, François. Materials Handbook: A Concise Desktop Reference. Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 2018. 2) CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 97th Edition. United Kingdom: CRC Press, 2016-2017.