Soil

Showing 16–16 of 16 results

Soil

A Tension Infiltrometer Set with a tall, cylindrical design and circular base, used for measuring soil water infiltration. The apparatus is displayed against a plain white background.

Tension Infiltrometer Set

Strength and compaction

Water movement

Description and screening

  • Soil Colour Book and Sand Ruler — standard references for colour and grain size, so descriptions are comparable between surveyors and between years.
  • Mini Hand Sieves Set — pocket sized, for quick fraction checks in the field.
  • Peat Probe — sounds depth to the base of a peat deposit or a firmer layer without recovering material.
  • Geologist Hammer — for exposing and sampling rock and indurated material.
  • Oil Detection Pan — rapid field screening for hydrocarbons, so the sampling plan can adapt while you are still on site.

Measuring in the field rather than the laboratory

A great deal of what matters about soil changes the moment you remove it from the ground. Structure, macropores, in-situ density and the pathways water actually takes are all properties of soil where it sits, and a sample in a bag has lost most of them.

Field instruments answer those questions directly. A penetrologger maps compaction across a field in an afternoon, at a spatial density no sampling programme would fund. An infiltrometer measures what the ground really does with rainfall, including the cracks and channels a laboratory permeability test on an intact core would never see. Both give you numbers you cannot obtain any other way.

Matrix or reality: choosing an infiltration method

The distinction between a double ring and a tension infiltrometer is worth understanding before ordering. Macropores — cracks, worm channels, old root holes — can carry the large majority of infiltrating water, and they vary enormously across a site and through a season.

If you want the real infiltration rate for runoff or SuDS design, you want those pathways included, and a double ring gives you that. If you are comparing treatments or parameterising a model and need the conductivity of the soil matrix itself, macropores are noise, and a tension infiltrometer excludes them. Choosing the wrong one produces a defensible number answering the wrong question.

Related equipment

For recovering samples see Soil Samplers, for profile description Gouge Augers, and for getting to depth Hand Augers. For laboratory testing see Soil Physical Research, and for continuous sensor measurement Sensors and Probes. Several items are also available for immediate ordering in the shop.

Soil field equipment FAQs

Penetration resistance with depth, recorded electronically as the cone is pushed into the soil at a controlled rate. With GPS it logs position alongside each reading, so results can be mapped. It is the standard tool for identifying compaction, locating plough pans and comparing soil condition across a field or between management treatments.
Scale and record. A pocket penetrometer gives a quick single-point estimate of strength in the hand, useful when describing a profile or logging a trial pit. A penetrologger produces a continuous, recorded, position-referenced profile suitable for mapping and for comparing surveys over time.
Estimating the undrained shear strength of cohesive soil in the field, by rotating a vane and measuring the torque required to shear the soil. The pocket vane tester is for rapid checks while describing a profile; the field inspection vane tester is the larger instrument for more systematic work.
An infiltrometer measures how fast water enters the soil at the surface, which is what matters for runoff, irrigation design and SuDS. A permeameter measures hydraulic conductivity within the profile. Double ring infiltrometers confine the measurement to the inner ring to reduce lateral spread; tension infiltrometers apply a slight suction so only the soil matrix conducts water, excluding cracks and macropores.
Because cracks, worm channels and root holes can dominate a measurement and give a figure that reflects those pathways rather than the soil itself. If you need the matrix conductivity - for modelling, or for comparing treatments - a tension infiltrometer gives the more meaningful number. If you want the real-world infiltration rate including macropores, you do not.
In-situ measurement of field saturated hydraulic conductivity from a borehole, without needing to recover a sample. It is widely used for drainage design, soakaway and SuDS assessment, and irrigation planning.
Measuring soil water tension - how tightly water is held by the soil, and therefore how available it is to plants. That is the more useful number for irrigation scheduling than moisture content alone, because it reflects what the plant experiences rather than simply how much water is present.
To make field description repeatable. Left to judgement, two surveyors will describe the same soil differently, and comparisons across a project or between years become unreliable. A colour reference and a grain size reference remove that variation for very little cost.
Rapid field screening for oil and hydrocarbon presence in soil or water samples, so contamination can be identified while you are still on site and the sampling plan adjusted accordingly.

Ordering and support

All equipment here is genuine Eijkelkamp, supplied direct from our UK operation. Tell us what you are trying to measure and why, and we will recommend the right instrument — the choice between apparently similar methods often matters more than the choice of model. Request a quote or get in touch.

This site uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. By browsing this website, you agree to our use of cookies.
More info