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Compost Testing and Analysis

Soil Control Lab is approved by the US Composting Council’s Seal of Testing Assurance Program. We work with consultants and waste generators to determine appropriate alternatives to landfill. By testing for chemical and physical characteristics we can determine a by-product's suitability for use as a compost feedstock. Constituents tested include carbon, nitrogen, moisture, nutrients, metals, pathogens, and more. From the results of these tests, an optimum composting formulation can be determined.

Test Packages

Finished Compost Package (FINISH / complete compost, $399)

  • Determines the quality of a finished product based on physical, chemical, biological properties and health-safety issues. Aids in marketing, application rates, and product development.
  • Size Distribution and Inerts, Nutrients & Other Agriculture Related Constituents, Stability, Maturity, Salmonella, Metals, Fecal Coliform, Interpretation Sheet
  • See Example Report

Nutrients: Agricultural constituents (NUTRIENTS $179)

  • Nitrogen Series, Sodium, Chloride, Carbonates, Primary & Secondary Nutrients, Conductivity, Nutrient Trace Elements, pH, Moisture, Ash, Bulk Density, Organic Matter, Organic Carbon, C/N Ratio, AgIndex.
  • See Example Report

Size Distribution and Inerts (PART $59)

  • Determines the make-up of each fraction (heavy or light), if screening would improve nutrients, if screened material should be re-composted, presence of contaminants.
  • See Example Report

Guaranteed Analysis ($279)

  • Nitrogen Series, Sodium, Chloride, pH, Phosphorus Series, Potassium Series, Nutrient Trace Elements, Secondary Nutrients, Conductivity, Trace Elements, Moisture, Total Carbon
  • See Example Report

Metals (MET $199)

  • Satisfies Regulation for toxic metals, calculates loading rate for agricultural soil.
  • 503 Metals [Arsenic, Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Lead, Mercury, Molybdenum, Nickel, Selenium, Zinc] Total Solids
  • See Example Report

Fecal Coliform (FECAL $60)

Satisfies regulation, indicator of the presence of toxic microbes.

Salmonella (SAL $60)

Satisfies regulation, indicator of the presence of toxic microbes.

E. coli 0157 ($75)

Satisfies regulation, indicator of the presence of toxic microbes.

Viable Weed Seed Test (WEED $159)

Satisfies regulation, indicator of the presence of toxic microbes.

Metals & Bacteria (SAFETY $249)

  • Satisfies Regulation for toxic metals, calculates loading rate for agricultural soil and indicator of the presence of toxic microbes.
  • See Example Report

Stability (STABILITY $150)

  • Determines if the compost pile is optimized for microbial activity and the degree the carbon has been stabilized.
  • See Example Report

Inerts ($199)

Inerts contents, Total solids, Volatile solids of slurries & digestates (<5% inerts)

Maturity (MATURITY $75)

Determines if phytotoxins are present in the compost.