Soil Bulk Density and Compaction

Bulk density, total porosity, and compaction flag against texture-class threshold.

Run the calculator

Example

You enter

Dry core mass (g) 200
Core volume (cc) 150
Particle density (g/cc) 2.65
Texture loam

You get

Bulk density 1.33 g/cc
Porosity 0.497
Compaction threshold 1.55
Compacted No

Details, formula, and sources

Bulk density (g/cm³) = dry_weight / volume. Total porosity = 1 − (bulk_density / particle_density), particle density typical 2.65 g/cm³ for mineral soils.

USDA NRCS Soil Survey Manual (SSM) and Soil Quality Indicators by name.

USDA NRCS materials free at nrcs.usda.gov.

Estimate. AHJ and licensed professional govern.

Field names used by the API: dry_mass_g, core_volume_cc, particle_density_pcc, texture, bulk_density, total_porosity, compaction_threshold, compacted

Particle density 2.65 g/cm³ for mineral soils unless user suppliesUSDA NRCS SSM
Compaction threshold varies by texture class (coarse 1.80 / medium 1.55 / fine 1.40 g/cm³)USDA NRCS Soil Quality Indicators