Hydraulic Conductivity Calculator

Your details

Select the method that matches your data. Lab tests need flow and geometry measurements; empirical methods need grain-size data from a sieve analysis.
Volume of water collected per unit time through the sample.
m³/s
Area of the soil sample perpendicular to flow.
m²
Length of the soil specimen in the direction of flow.
m
Difference in water levels (head) across the sample.
m
Choose the unit for the displayed hydraulic conductivity.
Hydraulic conductivity (K)Coarse sand (high K)
0.01

The rate at which water flows through a unit area of soil under a unit hydraulic gradient.

Unitm/s
Hydraulic gradient (i)0.5
K in m/s (reference)0.01
0.01 log₁₀(m/s)
Dense clay<-9Clay / Silt-9--7Fine Sand-7--5Coarse Sand-5--3Gravel-3+

Hydraulic conductivity via Constant Head permeameter: 1.000e-2 m/s

  • The computed K is 1.000e-2 m/s, consistent with coarse sand or gravel mix.
  • Laboratory permeameter tests directly measure K under controlled conditions and are generally more accurate than empirical equations, provided the sample is representative.
  • In-situ hydraulic conductivity can vary over many orders of magnitude with small changes in soil structure, so lab values should be validated against field data where possible.

Next stepFor design applications, consult published typical-K tables to sense-check your result, and consider at least three replicate tests to quantify variability.

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