The condition of a soil can be altered by changing the moisture content. The liquid limit is the empirically established moisture content at which a soil passes from the plastic to the liquid state. A knowledge of the liquid limit allows the engineer to correlate several engineering properties with the soil. Two main types of test are used; the Casagrande type (Cup), which has been used for many years, and the cone penetrometer method, which is now the definitive method specified in BS 1377.
