Specific Gravity and Water Absorption of Aggregates

Specific gravity test of aggregates is done to measure the strength or quality of the material while water absorption test determines the water holding capacity of the coarse and fine aggregates.

Specific Gravity is the ratio of the weight of a given volume of aggregate to the weight of an equal volume of water. It is the measure of strength or quality of the specific material. Aggregates having low specific gravity are generally weaker than those with higher specific gravity values.