UNIFIED SOIL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM

Name LABORATORY CRITERIA

Group
Symbols Fines
(%) Grading Plasticity Notes
Gravels Well graded gravels, Cu>4 Dual
(more than GW 0-5
with little or no fines 1<Cc<3 symbols
50% of coarse Poorly graded if 5-12%
fraction of gravels, sandy Not satisfying fines.
gravel size) GP 0-5
gravels, with little or GW Dual
no fines requirements symbols if
above A-
Silty gravels, silty GM >12 Below A-line
line and
sandy gravels or PI<4
coarse 4<PI<7
grained
(more
Clayey gravels, clayey
GC >12 Above A-line
than 50%
sandy gravels and PI>7
larger
than 63
Sands
(more than Well graded sands, Reminder
μm BS or SW 0-5 Cu>6
No.200 US 50% of coarse gravelly sands, with
fraction of little or no fines 1<Cc<3 D60
sieve size C u=
sand size) D10
(0.074 mm))
Poorly graded sands, Not satisfying
SP 0-5
gravelly sands, with SW D30 2
little or no fines requirements Cc=
D10∗D60
Below A-line
SM >12
Silty sands or PI<4 PI=LL-PL
Above A-line
SC >12
Clayey sands and PI>7
Name
Group
LABORATORY CRITERIA
Symbols

Silts and Inorganic silts, silty Use plasticity chart

Clays (liquid or clayey fine sands, ML
limit less than with slight plasticity
50) Use plasticity chart
fine Inorganic clays, silty
clays, sandy clays of CL
grained
(more low plasticity
than 50% Organic silts and Use plasticity chart
smaller organic silty clays of OL
than 63 low plasticity
μm BS or Silts and Inorganic silts of Use plasticity chart
No.200 US Clays (liquid MH
high plasticity
sieve size limit greater Inorganıc clays of Use plasticity chart
(0.074 mm)) CH
than 50) high plasticity
Organic clays of Use plasticity chart
OH
high plasiticty
Highly organic soils Peat and other highly Use plasticity chart
Pt
organic soils
Equation of A-line = 0.73* (LL-20)