A test to determine the moisture content of soil as a percentage of its dry weight (British Standard 1377: 1967). The sample is weighed, dried in an oven, then reweighed under standard conditions. It is calculated as the moisture content, which is equal to: (weight of the container with wet soil minus the weight of the container with dry soil) divided by (weight of the container with dry soil minus the weight of the container); then multiplied by 100 to express it as a percentage.