Why soil testing is important

What is soil testing?

Soil testing refers to a wide range of soil analysis tests that can be carried out for a number of reasons. Soil testing may be used to determine the quality of soil to assess how it’s used. 

Soil analysis can be useful for a number of industries including agriculture, construction and engineering.

What can soil testing be used for?

Soil testing can be used for a number of reasons. Some of these include:

• Building and construction sites may use soil tests to determine soil quality and conditions for building. They will also need to establish if the land is contaminated and if it is, how to deal with it correctly
• Topsoil may be tested to ensure it complies with British Standard BS3882. The standard helps to set out how soil should be handled and prepared
• The water content of soil may be tested for agriculture, to plan for flood prevention, drought prediction and to prevent erosion
• It’s very important that waste disposal guidelines are adhered to so that soil waste is disposed of correctly to eliminate risk of contamination. Further information on waste management guidance can be found on the Gov website

Why is soil testing important? 

Knowing the contents of soil is important for accurately planning projects, whether that is building and construction, crop growth in agriculture or preventing floods and erosion. 

Soil testing determines the contents and behaviour of soil, giving you the information to handle and prepare the soil as you should. 

It also means that you comply with the laws around waste disposal and management.

Soil test types

At The Soil Lab, we offer a range of fast and accurate soil testing kits that are easy to use and can be sent back to our soil testing lab for analysis. We offer tests for the following:

• Asbestos ID & Asbestos Quantification 
• Coal tar test
• POPs test for Persistent Organic Pollutants
• Topsoil certification
• Water analysis for soil
• Waste soil classification for disposal
• WAC test (Waste Acceptance Criteria) for landfill

Order a soil test online, or if you have any questions, contact us and an expert will be happy to assist.