ISO 17828:2025

Overview

ISO 17828:2025 - Solid biofuels - Determination of bulk density specifies a standardized laboratory method to determine the bulk density of pourable solid biofuels. The standard covers measuring procedures using designated measuring containers (5 L and 50 L), a method for coarse fuels with nominal top size > 63 mm, and rules for reporting results together with moisture content. ISO 17828:2025 clarifies test conditions because bulk density is not absolute and is affected by vibration, shock, pressure, drying/wetting and biodegradation.

Key Topics

• Scope and applicability: Applies to pourable solid biofuels with nominal top size ≤ 63 mm (maximum particle length 200 mm). A separate procedure is described for fuels with nominal top size > 63 mm.
• Principle: Fill a defined container, optionally apply a controlled shock exposure to simulate compaction during handling, weigh the material and calculate bulk density as mass/volume.
• Measuring containers:
  • Small standardized container: 5 L filling volume (±2%), inner diameter 164 mm, inner height 237 mm.
  • Large standardized container: 50 L filling volume (±2%), inner diameter 360 mm, inner height 491 mm. Height-diameter ratio tolerance specified.
  • Coarse-fuel container: Non-standardized, large-volume container for nominal top size > 63 mm.
  • Containers must be cylindrical, shock-resistant, smooth-surfaced, waterproof and resistant to deformation; grips for handling are required.
• Apparatus and accessories: Requirements for balances, scantlings, wooden board/impact surface, optional controlled-shock apparatus and spill prevention aids.
• Procedure and calculations: Includes sample preparation, container selection, measurement steps, calculation of bulk density as received and optionally on dry basis.
• Documentation: Reporting requirements and rounding rules; informative Annex A (measuring differences with/without shock) and Annex B (example shock apparatus).

Applications

ISO 17828:2025 is used for:

• Quality control in pellet, briquette and loose biomass production.
• Commercial transactions where fuel is sold by volume - enabling comparative, reproducible bulk density measurements.
• Logistics and storage planning - estimating energy density, transport load and silo/warehouse capacity.
• Laboratories and conformity assessment - test labs, certification bodies and regulators performing standardized bulk density testing.
• Research and product development - assessing compaction behavior and transport handling effects for new biomass fuels.

Related standards

Normative references and complementary standards cited in ISO 17828:2025 include:

• ISO 14780 (Sample preparation)
• ISO 16559 (Vocabulary)
• ISO 18134‑1 / ISO 18134‑2 (Moisture content methods)
• ISO 18135 (Sampling)
• ISO 21945 (Simplified sampling for small-scale applications)

Keywords: ISO 17828:2025, bulk density, solid biofuels, measuring container, standardized measuring container, pellets, biofuel transport, storage planning, bulk density determination.