ASTM_D_5268_-_22.pdf

Designation:D526822Standard Specification forTopsoil Used for Landscaping and Construction Purposes1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D5268;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope*1.1 This specification covers a physical evaluation of a soilcontaining organic material,relative to its use as a topsoil forvegetative growth purposes in landscaping and construction.For classification,a full agricultural textural classification maybe used.Soils being evaluated for use as a topsoil must meetthe requirements in Table 1.1.2 When physically evaluating a soil,relative to its suit-ability to support plant growth(primarily grasses),tests mustbe made to determine the presence and the amount of organicmatter,moisture content,inorganic matter(sand,silt and clay),pH,salt content,cation exchange capacity percentages anddeleterious materials.1.3 The presence in the soil of the correct nutrients,salts,and pH is necessary for healthy plant growth.This specifica-tion does not cover a determination of the nutrients,nor theiravailability.1.4 Typical ranges of topsoil composition are presented inTable 1.Soils falling within these ranges will generally form asuitable topsoil.Soils being used as a topsoil with organicmatter contents between 10 and 90%,may need to be amendedprior to use.It must,however,be recognized that in somegeographic regions,achieving the values in Table 1 could bedifficult.In such cases,alternative specifications may need tobe considered,or an engineered soilamendment meeting therequirements in Table 1 excluding the sand,silt,and claycontent as those materials will come from the subsurface soilbeing amended.When using an engineered soil amendment,the organic matter values need to be 75%to help rebuild thesubsoil layers.1.5 UnitsThe values stated in SI units are to be regardedas standard.No other units of measurement are included in thisstandard.1.6 All observed and calculated values shall conform to theguidelines for significant digits and rounding established inPractice D6026,unless superseded by this test method.1.6.1 The procedures used to specify how data are collected/recorded and calculated in the standard are regarded as theindustry standard.In addition,they are representative of thesignificant digits that generally should be retained.The proce-dures used do not consider material variation,purpose forobtaining the data,special purpose studies,or any consider-ations for the users objectives;and it is common practice toincrease or reduce significant digits of reported data to becommensurate with these considerations.It is beyond the scopeof these test methods to consider significant digits used inanalysis methods for engineering data.1.7 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety,health,and environmental practices and deter-mine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.1.8 This international standard was developed in accor-dance with internationally recognized principles on standard-ization established in the Decision on Principles for theDevelopment of International Standards,Guides and Recom-mendations issued by the World Trade Organization TechnicalBarriers to Trade(TBT)Committee.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2D653 Terminology Relating to Soil,Rock,and ContainedFluidsD2216 Test Methods for Laboratory Determination of Water(Moisture)Content of Soil and Rock by MassD2974 Test Methods for Determining the Water(Moisture)Content,Ash Content,and Organic Material of Peat andOther Organic SoilsD3740 Practice for Minimum Requirements for AgenciesEngaged in Testing and/or Inspection of Soil and Rock asUsed in Engineering Design and ConstructionD4972 Test Methods for pH of SoilsD6026 Practice for Using Significant Digits and Data Re-cords in Geotechnical Data1This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D18 on Soiland Rock and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D18.22 on Media forPlant Growth.Current edition approved Oct.1,2022.Published October 2022.Originallyapproved in 1992.Last previous edition approved in 2019 as D5268 191.DOI:10.1520/D5268-22.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standardCopyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United StatesThis international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on