Laboratory Testing

Soil Laboratory Testing in Southern California

NTS Geotechnical has the capability to provide comprehensive soil laboratory testing in Southern California. We also provide construction material testing services as requested by many of our clients. Qualified technicians perform the laboratory testing using certified equipment in accordance with ASTM, Greenbook, Brownbook, and Caltrans Standards. For projects in the City of Los Angeles, we provide soil testing by a Los Angeles-approved soil testing laboratory. 


​At NTS Geotechnical, we can conduct multiple tests to ensure your soil laboratory testing is properly completed to the fullest degree. These tests include: 


  • ​Atterberg Limits: This collection of limits determine a soil’s characteristics, including its shrinkage, plastic, and liquid limit—all dealing with the critical water contents of a certain soil, similarly categorized from solid to liquid. 
  • Grain Size Distribution: This process determines the size of various particles within your soil and what the average makeup of the ground is, taking into account how spaced out each granular particulate is from one another. 
  • Direct Shear Testing: This soil laboratory test determines the shear strength of your soil. This is a critical laboratory test method to aid in calculating bearing capacity for design of foundations. 
  • Consolidation Testing: This form of testing measures how a type of soil changes volume as changes in applied pressures occur over time. This testing also provides indication on the expansive nature or collapsible nature of the soil when different moisture is added. This test method is utilized to calculate the amount of settlement that a structure will experience based on specific loading. 


​We also provide the following geotechnical tests: 


  • ​Maximum Density and Optimum Moisture Content (ASTM D1557) 
  • Moisture & Density 
  • Expansion Index 
  • Corrosivity Suite (Sulfate, pH, Resistivity, Chloride) 
  • R-Value Testing 
  • Sand Equivalent 
  • Hydrocollapse Testing 


​Our material testing capabilities consist of the following: 


  • ​Concrete compressive strength 
  • Rebar bend and tensile testing 
  • Masonry grout/mortar testing 


If you would like to learn more about the soil laboratory testing services we offer to people and companies in Southern California, contact us today. If you have any remaining questions or comments about our capabilities and what we can do to get you on your way to completing a successful construction project, get in touch with us. We look forward to hearing from you soon and getting you on your way to building. 

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