March 5, 2014

Stockpile Density: How Much is that Water Worth?

Author: Stockpile Reports

Empowering monthly stockpile measurements is a hot topic of discussion here at Stockpile Reports. Our goal is to enable our customers to take monthly inventory measurements.

We also know that financial teams are very interested in having the ability to evaluate a stockpile’s tonnage from month to month, or even weekly by our on-line reporting.

Even though most of the East Coast is still experiencing snow and ice, springtime will be arriving. Seasonal changes include rain showers. Warming weather will melt snow and ice. Expect muddy conditions at uncovered stockpile sites!

As we anticipate the coming changes in weather, the Stockpile Reports team has been brainstorming ideas for measurement improvements on outdoor sites.

Aggregates are porous (to some extent) and absorb moisture, thus affecting overall weight and valuation. When stockpiles dry they become lighter. This change in weight causes the associated financial valuation  of that material to fluctuate.

A wet stockpile with a high moisture content would  –if measured by weight alone— be worth more money than a lighter, dry pile.

To complicate matters of determining density, different parts of the country obviously have different weather conditions throughout the year, with varying materials and average moisture contents. For example, sites with stockpiles on unsloped, unpaved surfaces can also expect higher moisture averages in materials.

ASTM International, formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), is a globally recognized leader in the development and delivery of international voluntary consensus standards. Measurement test methods range from compaction testing to Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy.

ASTM now has a variety of videos that explain moisture and density test procedures here.

Here are a couple of interesting videos about density measurements.

Do you know how often your company calculates the density values of materials? If you could calculate your stockpile density values every month, would you do it?

We are always listening to our customers, and are are very interested in hearing from you about your stockpile density fluctuations and challenges. Drop us a note.