ISO 18400-104-2018 PDF

Full title and description

ISO 18400-104:2018 — Soil quality — Sampling — Part 104: Strategies. Guidance on the development of site investigation and sampling strategies for collecting soil information to determine average properties, variability and spatial distribution, applicable to samples for chemical and other laboratory or in-field testing.

Abstract

This document gives general guidance on the development of site investigation strategies and detailed guidance on the development of sampling strategies when collecting information on the average properties of soil, the variability of soil properties and the spatial distribution of soil properties. It applies primarily to soil samples intended for chemical testing but is also relevant to a variety of other properties (for example, physical and biological), and to in‑field measurements. The standard also outlines statistical principles that underpin the design of representative sampling programmes and related quality assurance considerations.

General information

• Status: Published (confirmed on periodic review).
• Publication date: 16 October 2018 (Edition 1).
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
• ICS / categories: 13.080.05 (Examination of soils in general).
• Edition / version: Edition 1 (2018).
• Number of pages: 131.

Scope

ISO 18400-104:2018 provides guidance for planning and implementing sampling programmes and overall site-investigation strategies to characterise soil properties. It covers objectives-setting, selection of sampling approaches to capture average values, variability and spatial distribution, statistical design considerations, and aspects of sample collection intended for laboratory analysis or for direct field measurement. The standard is applicable across environmental assessment, remediation investigations, research and monitoring where representative soil data are required.

Key topics and requirements

• Development of site investigation strategy and objectives definition.
• Design of sampling strategies to assess mean values, variability and spatial distribution of soil properties.
• Use of statistical principles for sample size, stratification, spatial sampling and representativity.
• Guidance on sampling approaches for chemical, physical and some biological assessments.
• Considerations for in‑field measurements versus laboratory sampling.
• Quality assurance/quality control, documentation and defensible sampling practices.
• Integration with preliminary investigations and other related sampling standards.

Typical use and users

Used by environmental consultants, site investigation teams, regulators, remediation contractors, analytical laboratories and researchers involved in soil assessment, contamination investigations, monitoring programmes and environmental due diligence. The standard supports development of defensible sampling plans for risk assessment, remediation design and regulatory reporting.

Related standards

This part is one element of the ISO 18400 series on soil quality sampling and is intended to be used alongside related documents such as other ISO 18400 parts (examples include guidance on preliminary investigations, physical pretreatment, soil gas sampling and biological sample handling), ISO 11074 (soil quality — vocabulary), ISO 11464 (soil sample pretreatment) and relevant water and geotechnical sampling standards (for example, parts of the ISO 5667 and ISO 22475 series).

Keywords

soil quality, sampling, sampling strategy, site investigation, spatial variability, statistical sampling, environmental assessment, sample representativity, QA/QC

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO 18400-104:2018 is an international standard that provides guidance on developing site investigation and sampling strategies to collect representative soil data for laboratory testing or in‑field measurement.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers planning of sampling programmes, statistical considerations for design (mean, variability, spatial distribution), choices of sampling approaches, and quality assurance aspects relevant to chemical, physical and some biological soil assessments.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Environmental consultants, remediation teams, regulators, laboratories and researchers who need to design and defend soil-sampling plans for assessments, monitoring or remediation projects.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: Published in October 2018 (Edition 1). It remains a published/active part of the ISO 18400 series; users should check with their national standards body for any national adoptions or more recent revisions before relying on the text for regulatory compliance.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes. ISO 18400-104 is one part of the ISO 18400 series on soil quality — sampling, which includes other parts addressing preliminary investigations, pretreatment, soil gas sampling and biological sample handling among others.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: soil sampling, sampling strategy, site investigation, variability, spatial distribution, representativity, QA/QC, environmental assessment