oSIST prEN 13038:2025
(Main)Soil improvers and growing media - Determination of electrical conductivity
Soil improvers and growing media - Determination of electrical conductivity
This document specifies an instrumental method for the routine determination of electrical conductivity in a water extract of a soil improver or growing medium. The determination is carried out to obtain an indication of the content of water soluble electrolytes in either soil improvers or growing media.
Bodenverbesserungsmittel und Kultursubstrate - Bestimmung der elektrischen Leitfähigkeit
Dieses Dokument legt ein gerätegestütztes Verfahren zur routinemäßigen Bestimmung der elektrischen Leitfähigkeit in einem wässrigen Extrakt aus Bodenverbesserungsmitteln oder Kultursubstraten fest. Die Bestimmung wird durchgeführt, um einen Hinweis auf den Gehalt an wasserlöslichen Elektrolyten in Bodenverbesserungsmitteln oder in Kultursubstraten zu erhalten.
Amendements du sol et supports de culture - Détermination de la conductivité électrique
Le présent document spécifie une méthode instrumentale de détermination de routine de la conductivité électrique dans un extrait aqueux d’amendement du sol ou de support de culture. La détermination est effectuée afin d’obtenir une indication de la teneur en électrolytes solubles dans l’eau présents dans des amendements du sol ou des supports de culture.
Izboljševalci tal in rastni substrati - Določanje električne prevodnosti
General Information
- Status
- Not Published
- Public Enquiry End Date
- 01-Dec-2025
- Technical Committee
- KAT - Soil quality
- Current Stage
- 4020 - Public enquire (PE) (Adopted Project)
- Start Date
- 08-Oct-2025
- Due Date
- 25-Feb-2026
- Completion Date
- 15-Dec-2025
Relations
- Revises
SIST EN 13038:2012 - Soil improvers and growing media - Determination of electrical conductivity - Effective Date
- 01-Nov-2025
Overview
oSIST prEN 13038:2025 is a European draft standard developed by SIST that specifies a standardized instrumental method for the routine determination of electrical conductivity in water extracts of soil improvers and growing media. This procedure serves as an important indicator of water-soluble electrolyte content, reflecting the concentration of ions available in these materials. Understanding electrical conductivity is critical for quality assessment and regulatory compliance in the production and use of soil improvers and various substrates used for plant growth.
This standard supersedes EN 13038:2011, aligning its scope and applicability with the latest European regulatory requirements, including the EU Fertilizer Product Regulation.
Key Topics
Purpose of Testing:
The method measures electrical conductivity as a proxy for the total amount of water-soluble electrolytes, which influence soil and substrate fertility and plant health.Sampling and Preparation:
While sampling itself is not covered by this standard, it references standardized sampling and preparation protocols to ensure reliability and repeatability of test results.Instrumental Method:
An aqueous extract is prepared using a standardized ratio of sample to water. The extract’s specific electrical conductivity is then measured with a calibrated conductivity meter, with results adjusted to a standard temperature of 25°C.Validation and Quality Control:
Method validation follows ISO 5725-2 principles, ensuring accuracy, repeatability, and reproducibility. This is corroborated by interlaboratory studies on a wide range of materials, representative of common soil improvers and growing media.Reporting:
Test reports must reference the standard, document detailed sample information, provide results in millisiemens per metre (mS/m), note deviations, and include relevant test conditions such as laboratory bulk density.
Applications
Electrical conductivity determination according to oSIST prEN 13038:2025 is essential in several contexts:
Soil Improver Quality Assessment:
Ensuring soil improvers have appropriate electrolyte content for supporting soil structure and fertility.Growing Media Production:
Monitoring and controlling the nutrient balance in substrates used for horticulture, nurseries, and greenhouse growing, to prevent issues such as salinity stress that can harm plants.Product Certification and Compliance:
Supporting compliance with EU and national regulations for fertilizers, composts, substrates, and soil amendments, as required by the EU Fertilizing Product Regulation.Research and Development:
Providing reliable data for R&D in soil and substrate optimization, environmental impact studies, and best-practice development for sustainable agriculture and horticulture.
Related Standards
For effective use and consistent results, this standard references several related documents:
- EN 12579: Soil improvers and growing media - Sampling
Details procedures for sampling to obtain representative test portions. - CEN/TS 17732: Soil improvers and growing media - Terminology
Defines commonly used terms across related standards. - prEN 13040-1: Soil improvers and growing media - Sample preparation
Guides on sample preparation for chemical and physical testing. - EN 27888 (ISO 7888): Water quality - Determination of electrical conductivity
General method relevant to water testing and instrumentation.
Adherence to these referenced standards ensures credibility and harmonization across laboratories and between industry partners working with soil improvers and growing media.
Keywords: soil improvers, growing media, electrical conductivity, water extract, electrolytes, standardized method, quality control, EU Fertilizer Product Regulation, substrates, SIS, prEN 13038, horticulture, fertilizers, compliance.
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Frequently Asked Questions
oSIST prEN 13038:2025 is a draft published by the Slovenian Institute for Standardization (SIST). Its full title is "Soil improvers and growing media - Determination of electrical conductivity". This standard covers: This document specifies an instrumental method for the routine determination of electrical conductivity in a water extract of a soil improver or growing medium. The determination is carried out to obtain an indication of the content of water soluble electrolytes in either soil improvers or growing media.
This document specifies an instrumental method for the routine determination of electrical conductivity in a water extract of a soil improver or growing medium. The determination is carried out to obtain an indication of the content of water soluble electrolytes in either soil improvers or growing media.
oSIST prEN 13038:2025 is classified under the following ICS (International Classification for Standards) categories: 65.080 - Fertilizers. The ICS classification helps identify the subject area and facilitates finding related standards.
oSIST prEN 13038:2025 has the following relationships with other standards: It is inter standard links to SIST EN 13038:2012. Understanding these relationships helps ensure you are using the most current and applicable version of the standard.
oSIST prEN 13038:2025 is associated with the following European legislation: EU Directives/Regulations: 2019/1009; Standardization Mandates: M/564, M/564 AMD 1, M/564 AMD 2, M/xxx. When a standard is cited in the Official Journal of the European Union, products manufactured in conformity with it benefit from a presumption of conformity with the essential requirements of the corresponding EU directive or regulation.
oSIST prEN 13038:2025 is available in PDF format for immediate download after purchase. The document can be added to your cart and obtained through the secure checkout process. Digital delivery ensures instant access to the complete standard document.
Standards Content (Sample)
SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-november-2025
Izboljševalci tal in rastni substrati - Določanje električne prevodnosti
Soil improvers and growing media - Determination of electrical conductivity
Bodenverbesserungsmittel und Kultursubstrate - Bestimmung der elektrischen
Leitfähigkeit
Amendements du sol et supports de culture - Détermination de la conductivité électrique
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN 13038
ICS:
65.080 Gnojila Fertilizers
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.
DRAFT
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
October 2025
ICS 65.080 Will supersede EN 13038:2011
English Version
Soil improvers and growing media - Determination of
electrical conductivity
Amendements du sol et supports de culture - Bodenverbesserungsmittel und Kultursubstrate -
Détermination de la conductivité électrique Bestimmung der elektrischen Leitfähigkeit
This draft European Standard is submitted to CEN members for enquiry. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee
CEN/TC 223.
If this draft becomes a European Standard, CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations
which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.
This draft European Standard was established by CEN in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other
language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are
aware and to provide supporting documentation.
Warning : This document is not a European Standard. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without
notice and shall not be referred to as a European Standard.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2025 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. prEN 13038:2025 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.
Contents Page
European foreword . 3
1 Scope . 4
2 Normative references . 4
3 Terms and definitions . 4
4 Principle . 4
5 Reagents . 4
6 Apparatus . 5
7 Sampling . 5
8 Preparation . 5
9 Procedure . 5
9.1 Extraction of materials in solid form . 5
9.2 Extraction of material in pre-shaped form . 6
9.3 Extraction of liquid or pasty materials . 6
9.4 Filtration . 6
9.5 Measuring conductivity of the potassium chloride solutions . 6
9.6 Measurement of the specific electrical conductivity of the filtrates . 6
10 Test report . 7
11 Validation of the method . 7
11.1 Validation in accordance with ISO 5725-2. 7
11.2 Performance characteristics. 7
Annex A (informative) Performance characteristics of the method . 8
Bibliography . 10
European foreword
This document (prEN 13038:2025) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 223 “Soil
improvers and growing media”, the secretariat of which is held by NEN.
This document is currently submitted to the CEN Enquiry.
This document will supersede EN 13038:2011.
— adaption of scope and applicability with respect to the EU-Fertilizer Product Regulation [3].
This document has been prepared under a standardization request addressed to CEN by the European
Commission. The Standing Committee of the EFTA States subsequently approves these requests for its
Member States.
1 Scope
This document specifies an instrumental method for the routine determination of electrical conductivity
in a water extract of a soil improver or growing medium. The determination is carried out to obtain an
indication of the content of water soluble electrolytes in either soil improvers or growing media.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
CEN/TS 17732:2022, Soil improvers and growing media – Terminology
EN 12579:2024, Soil improvers and growing media - Sampling
prEN 13040-1:2025, Soil improvers and growing media — Sample preparation — Part 1: Sample
preparation for chemical and physical tests, determination of dry matter content, moisture content and
laboratory bulk density
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in CEN/TS 17732:2022 and the
following apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp/
— IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
3.1
electrical conductivity
ability of an aqueous extract of the sample to conduct electricity as a function of the ion concentration
4 Principle
A sample is extracted with water at 22 °C ± 3,0 °C in an extraction ratio of 1 to 5 (1 V sample + 5 V water)
to dissolve the electrolytes. The specific electrical conductivity of the extract is measured and the result
is adjusted to a measurement temperature of 25 °C.
5 Reagents
5.1 Water, having an electrical conductivity not higher than 0,2 mS/m at 25 °C.
5.2 Potassium chloride solution, c(KCl) = 0,100 mol/l.
Dissolve 7,456 g potassium chloride (KCl), previously dried for 2 h at 105 °C, in water (5.1) and dilute to
1 000 ml. The specific electrical conductivity of this solution at 25 °C is 1 290 mS/m.
5.3 Potassium chloride solution, c(KCl) = 0,0100 mol/l.
Add 100,0 ml of potassium chloride solution (5.2) into a 1 000 ml volumetric flask and dilute to the
1 000 ml mark with water (5.1) at 20 °C. The specific electrical conductivity of this solution at 25 °C is
141 mS/m.
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