ISO 10381-8 Soil quality. Part 8: Guidance on sampling of stockpiles

International Organization for Standardization, Geneva; 2006
This part of ISO 10381 describes the methods to be applied when sampling soil from stockpiles. The general character of this part of ISO 10381 is a guideline. Nevertheless, many aspects of the sampling of stockpiles are based on well established methods and consequently are described in a prescriptive manner.
This part of ISO 10381 only includes the sampling of the soil material itself, i.e. the solid phase. It defines the different steps in sampling soil from a stockpile and gives instructions on how these steps should be carried out for specific situations.
This part of ISO 10381 is basically a code of practice. It describes what activities, circumstances and requirements should be addressed when sampling soil from stockpiles. As the circumstances can vary enormously, no detailed instructions on how samples should be taken in a specific situation can be given.
For a good understanding of this part of ISO 10381, the distinction between the terms “increment” (3.5), “sample” (3.16) and “composite sample” (3.4) is essential. Figure 1 illustrates this point. An increment is obtained by a single operation of a sampling device and is per definition put together with other increments in a composite sample. A sample can also be obtained by a single operation of a sampling device, but the obtained material is packed and analysed as an entity.