Designation: D 2216 98

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Reprinted from the Annual Book of ASTM Standards. Copyright ASTM

Standard Test Method for

Laboratory Determination of Water (Moisture) Content of

Soil and Rock by Mass1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation D 2216; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.

when tested by this method will give a mass of solids which

includes the previously soluble solids. These materials require
special treatment to remove or account for the presence of
precipitated solids in the dry mass of the specimen, or a
qualified definition of water content must be used. For example, see Noorany2 regarding information on marine soils.
1.6 This test method requires several hours for proper
drying of the water content specimen. Test Method D 4643
provides for drying of the test specimen in a microwave oven
which is a shorter process. Also see Gilbert3 for details on the
background of this test method.
1.7 This standard requires the drying of material in an oven
at high temperatures. If the material being dried is contaminated with certain chemicals, health and safety hazards can
exist. Therefore, this standard should not be used in determining the water content of contaminated soils unless adequate
health and safety precautions are taken.
1.8 This standard does not purport to address all of the
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

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1. Scope *
1.1 This test method covers the laboratory determination of
the water (moisture) content by mass of soil, rock, and similar
materials where the reduction in mass by drying is due to loss
of water except as noted in 1.4, 1.5, and 1.7. For simplicity, the
word material hereinafter also refers to either soil or rock,
whichever is most applicable.
1.2 Some disciplines, such as soil science, need to determine water content on the basis of volume. Such determinations are beyond the scope of this test method.
1.3 The water content of a material is defined in 3.2.1.
1.4 The term solid material as used in geotechnical
engineering is typically assumed to mean naturally occurring
mineral particles of soil and rock that are not readily soluble in
water. Therefore, the water content of materials containing
extraneous matter (such as cement, and the like) may require
special treatment or a qualified definition of water content. In
addition, some organic materials may be decomposed by oven
drying at the standard drying temperature for this method
(110C). Materials containing gypsum (calcium sulfate dihydrate or other compounds having significant amounts of
hydrated water) may present a special problem as this material
slowly dehydrates at the standard drying temperature (110C)
and at very low relative humidities, forming a compound
(calcium sulfate hemihydrate) which is not normally present in
natural materials except in some desert soils. In order to reduce
the degree of dehydration of gypsum in those materials
containing gypsum, or to reduce decomposition in highly
organic soils, it may be desirable to dry these materials at 60C
or in a desiccator at room temperature. Thus, when a drying
temperature is used which is different from the standard drying
temperature as defined by this test method, the resulting water
content may be different from standard water content determined at the standard drying temperature.

2. Referenced Documents
2.1 ASTM Standards:
D 653 Terminology Relating to Soil, Rock, and Contained
Fluids4
D 2974 Test Methods for Moisture, Ash, and Organic Matter of Peat and Other Organic Soils4
D 4220 Practice for Preserving and Transporting Soil
Samples4
D 4318 Test Method for Liquid Limit, Plastic Limit, and
Plasticity Index of Soils4
D 4643 Test Method for Determination of Water (Moisture)
Content of Soil by the Microwave Oven Method4
D 4753 Specification for Evaluating, Selecting, and Specifying Balances and Scales for Use in Soil and Rock
Testing4

NOTE 1Test Methods D 2974 provides an alternate procedure for

determining water content of peat materials.

1.5 Materials containing water with substantial amounts of

soluble solids (such as salt in the case of marine sediments)

2
Noorany, I., Phase Relations in Marine Soils, Journal of Geotechnical
Engineering, ASCE, Vol. 110, No. 4, April 1984, pp. 539543.
3
Gilbert, P.A., Computer Controlled Microwave Oven System for Rapid Water
Content Determination, Tech. Report GL-8821, Department of the Army, Waterways Experiment Station, Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg, MS, November 1988.
4
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 04.08.

This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D-18 on Soil
and Rock and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D18.03 on Texture,
Plasticity and Density Characteristics of Soils.
Current edition approved Feb. 10, 1998. Published January 1999. Originally
published as D 2216 63 T. Last previous edition D 2216 92.

*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standard.

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D 2216
D 6026 Guide for Using Significant Digits in Calculating
and Reporting Geotechnical Test Data5
E 145 Specification for Gravity-Convection And ForcedVentilation Ovens6

6.4 DesiccatorA desiccator cabinet or large desiccator jar

of suitable size containing silica gel or anhydrous calcium
sulfate. It is preferable to use a desiccant which changes color
to indicate it needs reconstitution. See 10.5.

3. Terminology
3.1 Refer to Terminology D 653 for standard definitions of
terms.
3.2 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:
3.2.1 water content (of a material)the ratio expressed as a
percent of the mass of pore or free water in a given mass
of material to the mass of the solid material. A standard
temperature of 110 6 5C is used to determine these masses.

NOTE 3Anhydrous calcium sulfate is sold under the trade name

Drierite.

6.5 Container Handling Apparatus, gloves, tongs, or suitable holder for moving and handling hot containers after
drying.
6.6 Miscellaneous, knives, spatulas, scoops, quartering
cloth, sample splitters, etc, as required.

4. Summary of Test Method

4.1 A test specimen is dried in an oven at a temperature of
110 6 5C to a constant mass. The loss of mass due to drying
is considered to be water. The water content is calculated using
the mass of water and the mass of the dry specimen.

7. Samples
7.1 Samples shall be preserved and transported in accordance with Practice 4220 Groups B, C, or D soils. Keep the
samples that are stored prior to testing in noncorrodible airtight
containers at a temperature between approximately 3 and 30C
and in an area that prevents direct contact with sunlight.
Disturbed samples in jars or other containers shall be stored in
such a way as to prevent or minimize moisture condensation on
the insides of the containers.
7.2 The water content determination should be done as soon
as practicable after sampling, especially if potentially corrodible containers (such as thin-walled steel tubes, paint cans, etc.)
or plastic sample bags are used.

5. Significance and Use

5.1 For many materials, the water content is one of the most
significant index properties used in establishing a correlation
between soil behavior and its index properties.
5.2 The water content of a material is used in expressing the
phase relationships of air, water, and solids in a given volume
of material.
5.3 In fine-grained (cohesive) soils, the consistency of a
given soil type depends on its water content. The water content
of a soil, along with its liquid and plastic limits as determined
by Test Method D 4318, is used to express its relative consistency or liquidity index.

8. Test Specimen
8.1 For water contents being determined in conjunction with
another ASTM method, the specimen mass requirement stated
in that method shall be used if one is provided. If no minimum
specimen mass is provided in that method then the values given
below shall apply. See Howard7 for background data for the
values listed.
8.2 The minimum mass of moist material selected to be
representative of the total sample shall be in accordance with
the following:

6. Apparatus
6.1 Drying Oven, thermostatically-controlled, preferably of
the forced-draft type, meeting the requirements of Specification E 145 and capable of maintaining a uniform temperature
of 110 6 5C throughout the drying chamber.
6.2 BalancesAll balances must meet the requirements of
Specification D 4753 and this section. A Class GP1 balance of
0.01g readability is required for specimens having a mass of up
to 200 g (excluding mass of specimen container) and a Class
GP2 balance of 0.1g readability is required for specimens
having a mass over 200 g. However, the balance used may be
controlled by the number of significant digits needed (see 8.2.1
and 12.1.2).
6.3 Specimen ContainersSuitable containers made of material resistant to corrosion and change in mass upon repeated
heating, cooling, exposure to materials of varying pH, and
cleaning. Unless a dessicator is used, containers with closefitting lids shall be used for testing specimens having a mass of
less than about 200 g; while for specimens having a mass
greater than about 200 g, containers without lids may be used
(see Note 7). One container is needed for each water content
determination.

Maximum particle
size (100 %
passing)

2 mm or less
4.75 mm
9.5 mm
19.0 mm
37.5 mm
75.0 mm
A

Standard Sieve
Size

Recommended
minimum mass of
moist test specimen for water
content reported
to 60.1 %

Recommended
minimum mass of
moist test specimen for water
content reported
to 61 %

No. 10
No. 4
38-in.
34-in.
112 in.
3-in.

20 g
100 g
500 g
2.5 kg
10 kg
50 kg

20 gA
20 gA
50 g
250 g
1 kg
5 kg

To be representative not less than 20 g shall be used.

8.2.1 The minimum mass used may have to be increased to

obtain the needed significant digits for the mass of water when
reporting water contents to the nearest 0.1 % or as indicated in
12.1.2.
7
Howard, A. K., Minimum Test Specimen Mass for Moisture Content Determination, Geotechnical Testing Journal, A.S.T.M., Vol. 12, No. 1, March 1989, pp.
39-44.

Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 04.09.

6
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 14.02.

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NOTE 2The purpose of close-fitting lids is to prevent loss of moisture

from specimens before initial mass determination and to prevent absorption of moisture from the atmosphere following drying and before final
mass determination.

D 2216
tative slice from the interval being tested; or (3) trimming the
exposed surface of one-half or from the interval being tested.

8.3 Using a test specimen smaller than the minimum indicated in 8.2 requires discretion, though it may be adequate for
the purposes of the test. Any specimen used not meeting these
requirements shall be noted on the test data forms or test data
sheets.
8.4 When working with a small (less than 200g) specimen
containing a relatively large gravel particle, it is appropriate
not to include this particle in the test specimen. However, any
discarded material shall be described and noted on the test data
forms or test data sheets.
8.5 For those samples consisting entirely of intact rock, the
minimum specimen mass shall be 500 g. Representative
portions of the sample may be broken into smaller particles,
depending on the samples size, the container and balance
being used and to facilitate drying to constant mass, see 10.4.
Specimen sizes as small as 200 g may be tested if water
contents of only two significant digits are acceptable.

NOTE 4Migration of moisture in some cohesionless soils may require

that the full section be sampled.

9.3.3 If a layered material (or more than one material type is

encountered), select an average specimen, or individual specimens, or both. Specimens must be properly identified as to
location, or what they represent, and appropriate remarks
entered on the test data forms or test data sheets.
10. Procedure
10.1 Determine and record the mass of the clean and dry
specimen container (and its lid, if used).
10.2 Select representative test specimens in accordance with
Section 9.
10.3 Place the moist test specimen in the container and, if
used, set the lid securely in position. Determine the mass of the
container and moist material using a balance (see 6.2) selected
on the basis of the specimen mass. Record this value.

9. Test Specimen Selection

9.1 When the test specimen is a portion of a larger amount
of material, the specimen must be selected to be representative
of the water condition of the entire amount of material. The
manner in which the test specimen is selected depends on the
purpose and application of the test, type of material being
tested, the water condition, and the type of sample (from
another test, bag, block, and the likes.)
9.2 For disturbed samples such as trimmings, bag samples,
and the like, obtain the test specimen by one of the following
methods (listed in order of preference):
9.2.1 If the material is such that it can be manipulated and
handled without significant moisture loss and segregation, the
material should be mixed thoroughly and then select a representative portion using a scoop of a size that no more than a
few scoopfuls are required to obtain the proper size of
specimen defined in 8.2.
9.2.2 If the material is such that it cannot be thoroughly
mixed or mixed and sampled by a scoop, form a stockpile of
the material, mixing as much as possible. Take at least five
portions of material at random locations using a sampling tube,
shovel, scoop, trowel, or similar device appropriate to the
maximum particle size present in the material. Combine all the
portions for the test specimen.
9.2.3 If the material or conditions are such that a stockpile
cannot be formed, take as many portions of the material as
practical, using random locations that will best represent the
moisture condition. Combine all the portions for the test
specimen.
9.3 Intact samples such as block, tube, split barrel, and the
like, obtain the test specimen by one of the following methods
depending on the purpose and potential use of the sample.
9.3.1 Using a knife, wire saw, or other sharp cutting device,
trim the outside portion of the sample a sufficient distance to
see if the material is layered and to remove material that
appears more dry or more wet than the main portion of the
sample. If the existence of layering is questionable, slice the
sample in half. If the material is layered, see 9.3.3.
9.3.2 If the material is not layered, obtain the specimen
meeting the mass requirements in 8.2 by: (1) taking all or
one-half of the interval being tested; (2) trimming a represen--`,`,,,````,,````,`,,``,``,``-`-`,,`,,`,`,,`---

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NOTE 5To prevent mixing of specimens and yielding of incorrect

results, all containers, and lids if used, should be numbered and the
container numbers shall be recorded on the laboratory data sheets. The lid
numbers should match the container numbers to eliminate confusion.
NOTE 6To assist in the oven-drying of large test specimens, they
should be placed in containers having a large surface area (such as pans)
and the material broken up into smaller aggregations.

10.4 Remove the lid (if used) and place the container with
moist material in the drying oven. Dry the material to a
constant mass. Maintain the drying oven at 110 6 5C unless
otherwise specified (see 1.4). The time required to obtain
constant mass will vary depending on the type of material, size
of specimen, oven type and capacity, and other factors. The
influence of these factors generally can be established by good
judgment, and experience with the materials being tested and
the apparatus being used.
NOTE 7In most cases, drying a test specimen overnight (about 12 to
16 h) is sufficient. In cases where there is doubt concerning the adequacy
of drying, drying should be continued until the change in mass after two
successive periods (greater than 1 h) of drying is an insignificant amount
(less than about 0.1 %). Specimens of sand may often be dried to constant
mass in a period of about 4 h, when a forced-draft oven is used.
NOTE 8Since some dry materials may absorb moisture from moist
specimens, dried specimens should be removed before placing moist
specimens in the same oven. However, this would not be applicable if the
previously dried specimens will remain in the drying oven for an
additional time period of about 16 h.

10.5 After the material has dried to constant mass remove

the container from the oven (and replace the lid if used). Allow
the material and container to cool to room temperature or until
the container can be handled comfortably with bare hands and
the operation of the balance will not be affected by convection
currents and/or its being heated. Determine the mass of the
container and oven-dried material using the same type/capacity
balance used in 10.3. Record this value. Tight fitting lids shall
be used if it appears that the specimen is absorbing moisture
from the air prior to determination of its dry mass.
NOTE 9Cooling in a desiccator is acceptable in place of tight fitting
lids since it greatly reduces absorption of moisture from the atmosphere
during cooling especially for containers without tight fitting lids.

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D 2216
12.1.4 Indicate if test specimen contained more than one
material type (layered, etc.).
12.1.5 Indicate the temperature of drying if different from
110 6 5C.
12.1.6 Indicate if any material (size and amount) was
excluded from the test specimen.
12.2 When reporting water content in tables, figures, etc.,
any data not meeting the requirements of this test method shall
be noted, such as not meeting the mass, balance, or temperature
requirements or a portion of the material is excluded from the
test specimen.

11. Calculation
11.1 Calculate the water content of the material as follows:

where:
w
Mcws
Mcs
Mc
Mw
Ms

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Mw
w 5 @~Mcws 2 Mcs!/~Mcs 2 M c!# 3 100 5 M 3 100
s

5
5
5
5
5
5

(1)

water content, %,
mass of container and wet specimen, g,
mass of container and oven dry specimen, g,
mass of container, g,
mass of water (M w 5 Mcws Mcds), g, and
mass of solid particles (Ms 5 Mcds Mc), g.

13. Precision and Bias

13.1 Statement on BiasThere is no accepted reference
value for this test method; therefore, bias cannot be determined.
13.2 Statements on Precision:
13.2.1 Single-Operator Precision (Repeatability)The
single-operator coefficient of variation has been found to be 2.7
percent. Therefore, results of two properly conducted tests by
the same operator with the same equipment should not be
considered suspect unless they differ by more than 7.8 percent
of their mean.8
13.2.2 Multilaboratory Precision (Reproducibility)9The
multilaboratory coefficient of variation has been found to be
5.0 percent. Therefore, results of two properly conducted tests
by different operators using different equipment should not be
considered suspect unless they differ by more than 14.0 percent
of their mean.

12. Report
12.1 Test data forms or test data sheets shall include the
following:
12.1.1 Identification of the sample (material) being tested,
such as boring number, sample number, test number, container
number etc.
12.1.2 Water content of the specimen to the nearest 1 % or
0.1 %, as appropriate based on the minimum sample used. If
this method is used in concert with another method, the water
content of the specimen should be reported to the value
required by the test method for which the water content is
being determined. Refer to Guide D 6026 for guidance concerning significant digits, especially if the value obtained from
this test method is to be used to calculate other relationships
such as unit weight or density. For instance, if it is desired to
express dry unit weight to the nearest 0.1 lbf/f3(0.02 kN/m3), it
may be necessary to use a balance with a greater readability or
use a larger specimen mass to obtain the required significant
digits the mass of water so that the water content can be
determined to the required significant digits. Also, the significant digits in Guide D 6026 may need to be increased when
calculating phase relationships requiring four significant digits.
12.1.3 Indicate if test specimen had a mass less than the
minimum indicated in 8.2.

14. Keywords
14.1 consistency; index property; laboratory; moisture
analysis; moisture content; soil aggregate; water content
8

These numbers represent the (1s) and (d2s) limits as described in Practice C

670.
9
These numbers represent the (1s %) and (d2s %) limits as described in Practice
C 670.

SUMMARY OF CHANGES
Committee D-18 has identified the location of selected changes to this standard since the last issue.
(D 2216-92) that may impact the use of this standard.
(10) In 6.4, anhydrous calcium phosphate was changed to
anyhydrous calcium sulfate to correct an error and to agree
with Note 3.
(11) A typo in 8.1 was corrected from before to below and
a footnoted reference was added for information.
(12) A portion of 8.2 was deleted for clarity.
(13) A new 8.2.1 was added to clarify minimum mass requirements.
(14) Sections 8.3, 8.4, 9.3.3, and 12.1 were changed to
substitute test data form/sheet for report.
(15) Footnote seven was identified.
(16) Section 9.2.1 was revised to improve clarity and intent.
(17) The word possible was changed to practical in 9.2.3.

(1) Title was changed to emphasize that mass is the basis for
the standard.
(2) Section 1.1 was revised to clarify similar materials.
(3) New 1.2 was added to explain a limitation in scope. The
other sections were renumbered as appropriate.
(4) An information reference was included in 1.5.
(5) An information reference was included in 1.6
(6) A new ASTM referenced document was included in 2.1.
(7) New Footnotes 2, 3, and 5 were added and identified.
Other footnotes were renumbered where necessary for sequential identification.
(8) Information concerning balances was added in 6.2
(9) Section 6.3 was revised to clarify the use of close-fitting
lids, and a reference to Note 8 was added.
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D 2216
(18) Section 9.3.1 and 9.3.2 were revised to improve clarity
and for practicality.
(19) A reference to Guide D 6026 was added in 12.1.2.
(20) Footnotes 8 and 9 were added to 13.2.1 and 13.2.2,
respectively. These were inadvertently omitted from the 1992

version. These explanations provide clarity and information to

the user.
(21) A Summary of Changes was added to reflect D-18s
policy.

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