When the geotech shows up once a week but you compact every day, your own test log is what keeps the job moving. This template records Proctor references and field test results — location, lift, wet and dry density, moisture, percent compaction, and pass/fail against the spec requirement.
Or skip the spreadsheet
Gradelog logs compaction tests against jobs and lifts with pass/fail tracking — and its AI can tell you which areas still need passing tests before you pour.
Typical specs require 95% of maximum dry density (standard Proctor, ASTM D698) for structural fill and building pads, 90–92% for landscape areas, and 95–100% (sometimes modified Proctor, D1557) under pavements and footings. Always read your project geotechnical report — the spec on your job governs, not the rule of thumb.
Both establish a soil’s maximum dry density and optimum moisture, but modified Proctor (ASTM D1557) uses about 4.5 times more compactive energy than standard (D698), producing a higher max density at lower optimum moisture. A fill passing at 95% standard may only reach ~90% modified — pass/fail is meaningless unless you know which proctor the spec references.
Common frequencies are one test per 2,500 square feet per lift for building pads, one per 150–300 linear feet per lift in trenches, and one per 500–1,000 cubic yards of fill placed. Project specs override rules of thumb. Testing too sparsely is the classic way to end up excavating three lifts to fix one bad one.
The usual culprits are moisture out of range (too dry to densify or too wet and pumping), lift thickness beyond the roller’s effective depth, wrong proctor reference for the soil actually placed, insufficient passes, or unsuitable material with organics or oversized rock. Fix the cause — recompacting without correcting moisture just fails again.