Core samplers, moisture meters and sterile sample transport equipment for soil organic carbon surveys — matched to Verra and Gold Standard methodology depth and volume requirements.
Soil carbon projects — including agriculture, grassland restoration and improved land management — require systematic soil sampling to establish baselines and monitor carbon stock changes. Sampling equipment needs to be consistent across monitoring periods so that results are comparable. Most methodologies specify minimum core depth (typically 30cm or 1m), sample volume and drying procedures.
Soil organic carbon analysis is usually conducted in an accredited laboratory rather than in the field, so your field equipment focuses on consistent, contamination-free sample collection and transport.
The industry standard for soil carbon baseline sampling. Slide hammer design drives cores to 1m depth in compacted soils without bending or sample disturbance. Comes with 25mm and 50mm core diameters — 50mm cores required by most Verra and Gold Standard methodologies for bulk density determination. Stainless steel construction prevents sample contamination. Extension rods allow deeper coring in sandy soils.
50mm diameter cores are required for bulk density calculations in Verra VM0017 and Gold Standard's Soil Organic Carbon framework. A 25mm corer is faster but doesn't produce the sample volume needed for bulk density — check your methodology requirements before purchasing.
Soil moisture content at the time of sampling is required for accurate organic carbon determination — samples at different moisture levels aren't directly comparable without correction. The Eijkelkamp measures volumetric water content in seconds, is rugged enough for field use, and is widely accepted in environmental survey.
Recording field moisture at sampling time allows laboratory results to be expressed on a consistent dry-weight basis — required by all soil carbon methodologies for inter-period comparison.
Contamination-free soil transport is non-negotiable for laboratory analysis — standard ziplock bags introduce contamination and often fail on rough transport. Whirl-Pak sterile bags are the laboratory-accepted standard, used by environmental consultancies worldwide. Write-on panels for field labelling. Order in bulk before a sampling campaign.
Lab contamination from sample bags is a genuine risk that invalidates results. Sterile bags are inexpensive insurance. Order 3–5 bags per sample point to allow for duplicates and QC samples required by most methodologies.
For projects requiring soil respiration measurements — such as biochar projects assessing soil microbial activity or agriculture projects monitoring CO₂ flux — the LabQuest 3 with a compatible soil CO₂ sensor provides logged, timestamped field readings. Stores data onboard and syncs to computer for analysis.
Soil respiration data is increasingly required in premium soil carbon methodologies that want to demonstrate co-benefits beyond simple carbon stock measurement — relevant for Gold Standard's higher-value certification tiers.
Use our calculators to plan your project before you invest in field equipment.