Moisture Content of Soil
IS 2720 (Part 2)
Moisture content is the ratio of the mass of water in a soil sample to the mass of the dry soil, expressed as a percentage. It is one of the most basic and most frequently repeated soil tests, because almost every other soil property (strength, compaction, plasticity) is reported alongside the moisture content at which it was measured.
The test is straightforward: a wet sample is weighed, oven-dried at 105-110°C to constant mass, and weighed again. The loss in mass is the water that was present. Field moisture content is checked routinely during earthwork compaction to confirm the soil is close to its optimum moisture content before rolling.