UNSPSC 41113821: Soil penetration tester

A tester that is used for soil survey that measures the hardness of earth for finding out the road or cross section of the ground in engineering works.

UNSPSC 41113821 Soil penetration tester is a Commodity code covering in-situ and laboratory soil testing equipment and related apparatus used in geotechnical investigations and construction quality assurance. State and local governments procure soil penetration and compaction testing equipment including Proctor compactors with soil analyzers, cone penetrometer test (CPT) sounding units mounted on mobile platforms, and allied field instrumentation for routine materials testing and site characterization work on transportation, utility, and municipal infrastructure projects. The issuing bodies include state transportation departments, county utilities and engineering services, city public works and utilities divisions, and special-purpose authorities conducting geotechnical investigations, all of which either operate their own testing laboratories or procure testing services on a project or on-call basis.

Recent activity spans Texas, Georgia, Michigan, and Florida. The Texas Department of Transportation issued an IFB for a Proctor Soil Compactor with Soil Analyzer due October 27, 2026. The Michigan Department of Transportation awarded an RFP for a truck-mounted Cone Penetrometer Test sounding unit to Applied Research Associates, Inc. at $1,011,529.00 (notice of intent posted July 22, 2026 following a July 16 due date). The City of Augusta, Georgia and Henry County, Georgia both issued RFPs and RFQs respectively for on-call geotechnical testing services covering compressive strength testing, Proctor testing, in-place soil density testing, and soil classification work, with Georgia Department of Transportation prequalification required for Henry County's RFQ (response due September 9, 2026). Keys Energy Services (Utility Board of the City of Key West, Florida) posted two overlapping RFPs for electrical insulating oil testing services, which, while tagged under this code, represent laboratory oil analysis rather than soil penetration testing and show a mismatch between the commodity classification and actual scope.