Soil Bulk Density Kits (BDK0)

The BDK0 Bulk density kit is a low cost, high precision kit for collecting bulk density soil samples. It is an ideal tool for determining soil volumetric water content and calibration of soil water content sensors.

The Bulk Density Kit (BDK0) is a complete kit containing the following parts:

• 6x Bulk Density rings (60mm high, 45mm internal diameter) for collecting the soil sample.
• 1x Hammer block: is a protection placed between the ring (sampling can) and the mallet, to push the sampler down the soil surface.
• 1x Rubber Mallet (450G/16oZ); used to drive the ring (can) down the soil surface.
• 1x Protection lead: prevent damage of the ring sampler while driving down the ring in to the soil
• 1x Hand trowel; removes plants and/or grasses from the surface where the sample is going to be taken.
• 1x 50mm joint knife: Levels the soil in the ring.
• 1x Box of Zip lock bags for collecting the soil samples.
• 1x Pack of rubber bands, to knot the plastic bags that contain the soil samples.
• Butter Muslin: For cleaning the outer surface of the ring cans before putting the soil sampled into the plastic bag.
• 1x Marker uses to mark the sample taken (mark the bags).

Bulk density of the soil is the ratio of the mass of the dried soil to the volume of the soil. It indicates the compaction level of the soil. Mathematically, soil bulk density is defined as the mass of oven dried soil divided by soil volume.

This is defined as:

• Soil volume = ring volume
• Ring volume (cm³) = π x r² x h = π x 2.25² x 6
  • where r is the internal radius of the ring (45/2 mm)
  • where h is the height of the ring (60 mm)

Bulk Density Kit Applications

• Calibration of soil moisture sensors
• Soil quality assessment
• Soil water balance studies
• Agriculture
• Construction

This Bulk Density Kit (BDKO) is only suitable for sampling from soils that do not contain rocks, which otherwise damage the sample rings.