Soil Sampling

ERE carries the hand tools used to collect soil samples for Phase II environmental site assessments, geotechnical investigations and agronomy. AMS augers cover most ground, from sand, mud and regular augers to Dutch augers for heavily rooted soil and rocky soil screw augers for rotary hammer drills. Soil core samplers keep a relatively undisturbed core in a liner, soil probes take quick shallow cores, and soil sampling kits bundle augers, extensions and a handle in one case. For volatiles and soil vapour there are En Core® samplers and AMS soil gas probes, plus extensions, slide hammers, liners and the Munsell soil color chart.

Tell us the depth, the soil and what the lab needs, and we will put the kit together.

Soil sampling equipment FAQ

Auger, core sampler or probe: which do I need?

An auger reaches depth fast and brings up bulk, disturbed soil. A core sampler collects a relatively undisturbed core in a liner, which matters for VOCs and contaminant profiles. A soil probe takes a quick, shallow core; ERE's probes run from 12 to 40 in. long. Our soil sampling equipment guide and soil probe guide compare them.

Which auger suits my soil?

Match the auger to the ground: a sand auger for loose, granular soil such as sand, gravel and sandy loam; a mud auger for wet, cohesive soil such as clay; a Dutch auger for heavily rooted or fibrous soil; a gouge auger for very soft, wet soil such as peat; and a flighted screw auger for small samples from dense, compacted ground. For rocky ground, rocky soil screw augers fit SDS-Max and splined rotary hammer drills.

How deep can I sample by hand?

An AMS basic soil sampling kit is built to hand-auger to about 12 ft (3.65 m) with three 4 ft extensions, then collect a core. The 2" flighted auger kit drills access holes to 9 ft, and the hollowstem auger kit reaches 6 ft with the hammer drill it includes. Deeper work usually moves to a drill rig.

How do I sample soil for VOCs or soil gas?

For VOCs, sample minimally disturbed soil: drive a core sampler, then take small sealed subsamples with En Core® or Combo Core™ samplers. For soil vapour, AMS gas vapor probe kits drive a stainless steel probe with a slide hammer or a rotary hammer, and the Retract-A-Tip collects discrete soil gas samples.

What if the ground is too hard?

Add impact or power. AMS slide hammers thread onto core samplers and recovery probes (5/8" thread, 3/4" on the heavy-duty model), and the ECHO EA-410 and EDR-260 gas drills power augers where hand turning is too slow.