Sand and Gravel Specification

The sand in an EPIC profile has four functions: it resists compaction, drains freely, keeps the profile aerobic and lifts water to the roots by capillary rise. This specification states what the sand and the bridging gravel must be, how conformity is proved, and what evidence the test record must carry.

It applies to every EPIC installation and application, from turf, sportsfields and landscape to tree pits, roofs, roadside harvesting and leach fields. No sand or gravel may be delivered to site or built into the works until a sample from the nominated source has been tested and approved in writing. The document is issued for construction and procurement.

The sand clauses cover general character, grading limits, chemistry, the performance criteria that form the acceptance standard, and quick field checks for every delivery. The column test procedure is given in full, so it can be run at a quarry, on site or in a laboratory. The bridging gravel clauses cover grading, cleanliness, the bridging rule and its test, and how to handle very fine sands such as UAE dune sand.

Later sections set out what the materials must deliver once in place, with a measured saturation profile, two worked test records (one conforming, one not), and the sampling, marking, test schedule and reporting for a submission. Annexes provide the column test record sheet, a laboratory submission sheet, the source references and a nutrient comparison column.