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IS 1122:1974 is the Indian Standard (BIS) for method of test for determination of true specific gravity of natural building stones. This standard covers the laboratory testing procedure to determine the true specific gravity of natural building stones. It requires crushing the stone to a fine powder to eliminate the volume of all pores, allowing materials engineers to calculate the absolute solid density of the stone matrix.
Method of test for determination of true specific gravity of natural building stones
! True specific gravity is fundamentally different from apparent specific gravity and bulk specific gravity because the sample must be pulverized (passing 150-micron sieve) to eliminate all permeable and impermeable pores.
! It is critical to remove all entrapped air from the sample and water mixture in the specific gravity bottle, typically achieved by gently boiling the water or applying a vacuum.
natural building stonesstonerock
International Equivalents
Similar International Standards
EN 1936:2006CEN (European Committee for Standardization), Europe
HighCurrent
Natural stone test methods - Determination of real density and apparent density, and of total and open porosity
Defines the method for determining 'real density' on powdered stone, which is equivalent to 'true specific gravity'.
ASTM C97 / C97M - 19ASTM International, USA
MediumCurrent
Standard Test Methods for Absorption and Bulk Specific Gravity of Dimension Stone
Tests physical properties of dimension stone, but measures 'bulk specific gravity' on solid samples, not 'true specific gravity'.
ASTM D854 - 14ASTM International, USA
MediumCurrent
Standard Test Methods for Specific Gravity of Soil Solids by Water Pycnometer
Methodologically very similar (pycnometer on fine particles), but the specified material is soil solids, not building stone.
Key Differences
≠IS 1122 determines 'true specific gravity' on a powdered sample, whereas the most common US standard, ASTM C97, determines 'bulk specific gravity' on solid cubic or cylindrical specimens.
≠The required sample particle size in IS 1122 is powder passing a 600-micron sieve, while the direct European equivalent, EN 1936, requires a much finer powder passing a 63-micron sieve for determining real density.
≠IS 1122 allows for non-reactive liquids like kerosene or turpentine, whereas EN 1936 and ASTM D854 specify the use of de-aerated, distilled/demineralised water as the test liquid.
≠Modern standards like EN 1936 mandate rigorous de-aeration of the sample slurry using a vacuum, while IS 1122 only specifies gentle swirling to remove air bubbles, which may be less effective.
Key Similarities
≈Both IS 1122 and EN 1936 (for real density) use the same fundamental principle of pycnometry, determining specific gravity by measuring the volume displaced by a known mass of powdered material.
≈All standards require the test specimen to be dried to a constant mass in an oven at a similar temperature (around 105 °C to 110 °C) prior to weighing and testing.
≈The procedure in both IS 1122 and its international counterparts requires testing a minimum of three specimens and reporting the average result to ensure representative data.
Parameter Comparison
Parameter
IS Value
International
Source
Property Measured
True Specific Gravity
Real Density (equivalent to True Specific Gravity)
EN 1936:2006
Specimen Form
Powder from crushed stone
Powder from ground stone
EN 1936:2006
Specimen Particle Size
Passing 600-micron (0.6 mm) IS Sieve
Passing 63-micron (0.063 mm) sieve
EN 1936:2006
Drying Temperature
105 ± 5 °C
105 ± 5 °C
EN 1936:2006
Test Liquid
Kerosene, turpentine, or other non-reactive liquid
Demineralised and de-aerated water
EN 1936:2006
Air Removal Method
Gentle swirling or shaking
Applying vacuum (pressure < 2 kPa) for at least 2 hours
EN 1936:2006
Minimum Number of Specimens
At least three
At least three
EN 1936:2006
Reporting Precision
Reported to two decimal places
Reported to the nearest 10 kg/m³ (equivalent to two decimal places for specific gravity)
EN 1936:2006
⚠ Verify details from original standards before use
Key Values5
Quick Reference Values
sample preparation sieve size150 micron IS Sieve
sample drying temperature105 ± 5°C
standard test temperature27 ± 2°C
distilled water temperature27 ± 2°C
weighing balance accuracy0.001 g
Key Formulas
True Specific Gravity = (C - A) / ((B - A) - (D - C)) where A = mass of empty specific gravity bottle, B = mass of bottle + water, C = mass of bottle + dried sample, D = mass of bottle + sample + water
What is the difference between true specific gravity and apparent specific gravity?+
True specific gravity excludes the volume of all pores (both permeable and impermeable) by testing pulverized stone, whereas apparent specific gravity includes impermeable pores of an intact specimen.
What is the required particle size for this test?+
The stone sample must be crushed and ground to pass through a 150-micron IS Sieve.
At what temperature should the stone sample be dried?+
The sample must be dried in a well-ventilated oven at 105 to 110°C for at least 24 hours until it reaches a constant mass.