Site investigation · Laboratory: rock & aggregates
Particle density & water absorption (coarse aggregate) calculator
Oven-dry, SSD and apparent particle densities and water absorption from the basket method.
Standard: AS 1141.6.1 · ASTM C127
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Inputs in the worked example
The live calculator starts with these values; change any of them and every result, check and diagram updates instantly.
| Input | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Oven-dry mass A | 2965 | g |
| SSD mass in air B | 3012.4 | g |
| Mass in water C | 1868.9 | g |
| Water density at test temperature | 0.9982 | t/m³ |
| Max allowable absorption | 2 | % |
Worked example — results
| Result | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Particle density (dry) ρD | 2.59 | t/m³ |
| Particle density (SSD) | 2.63 | t/m³ |
| Apparent particle density | 2.70 | t/m³ |
| Water absorption | 1.60 | % |
- ✓ Absorption ≤ limit
- ✓ ρD ≤ ρSSD ≤ ρapparent
Method, formulas and assumptions
- Particle density (dry) ρD = 0.9982*2965/(3012.4-1868.9) = 2.5882 t/m³
- Particle density (SSD) = 0.9982*3012.4/(3012.4-1868.9) = 2.6296 t/m³
- Apparent particle density = 0.9982*2965/(2965-1868.9) = 2.7002 t/m³
- Water absorption = 100*(3012.4-2965)/2965 = 1.5987 %
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For preliminary design and education. Check every result against the current standard and your own engineering judgement before use.