What is the British Standard for Topsoil?
The British Standards Institute (BSI) has published a British Standard for topsoil – BS 3882:2015. The standard is a guide for the provision of topsoil and can be used when ordering topsoil materials.
BS 3882:2015 covers the following and tells a lot about the soil and its current condition:
– Description of topsoil
– Texture
– Soil reaction (pH)
– Stone content
– Contamination testing
Soil that is full of debris or contaminated with nasty chemicals simply will not meet the standard. The standard doesn’t judge whether soil is right for your project but it will tell you that it is safe and useable. A specialist low nutrient soil for wildflowers can be certified for BS 3882 and so can a general-purpose soil for growing flowers, fruit and vegetables.
Your supplier should be able to provide you with a copy of the certificate showing the results of soil testing. It will tell you about the composition of the soil, whether it is clay, sand, silt, loam or a blend. You will also be able to see the proportions of the nutrients in that soil.
Our Regal Topsoils (and all other suppliers of approved topsoil) are subject to regular testing to the BS 3882:2015 standard. Our customers can have total confidence that our products are safe for the environment and free from contaminants.
Questions to ask when purchasing topsoil.
When sourcing topsoil it is very important that you choose your supplier very carefully. A reputable supplier, like ourselves, should be able to answer the following questions:
- What is in the soil?
- Is it safe?
- Where is it from?
- Will it all come from the same source?
- What can it be used for?
- Does it meet British Standard BS 3882:2015?
- Is it peat free?
- Is an independent test analysis certificate available?
- Does the testing include analysis of P.T.E.s (Potentially Toxic Elements)?
- Can I get hold of the same soil year round?
- How is it delivered; in bags or loose?