Water Absorption (Coarse Aggregate)

The same saturated-surface-dry procedure used for fine aggregate is applied to coarse aggregate: 24-hour soaking, SSD weighing, oven-drying and re-weighing. Water absorption for good-quality crushed stone is typically low (often under 1-2%); higher values can indicate a porous or weathered source rock.

Results feed into concrete mix water corrections and are also considered alongside specific gravity when assessing overall aggregate quality.