Laboratory equipment for a civil engineering materials lab in Pakistan falls into five groups: concrete, soil, aggregate, asphalt and cement. A contractor's site lab that satisfies a consultant costs roughly PKR 1.1 to 3.2 million in 2026, depending on the compression machine. This list covers what each lab needs and what it costs.
We supply around twenty of these instruments from Rawalpindi, mostly to contractors setting up a site lab because the consultant has written one into the contract. The questions are always the same: what is the minimum, what will the resident engineer check, and what will it cost. This is the answer, lab by lab.
Civil engineering lab equipment price list
Indicative market ranges for new equipment in October 2026. Confirm today's price on WhatsApp, rates move with the exchange rate. Locally fabricated items sit at the bottom of each range, imported and branded ones at the top.
| Lab | Equipment | Main standard | Indicative market price (PKR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete | Compression testing machine, 2000 kN, hand operated | BS EN 12390-3, ASTM C39 | 280,000 to 550,000 |
| Concrete | Compression testing machine, 2000 kN, digital | BS EN 12390-3, ASTM C39 | 600,000 to 1,200,000 |
| Concrete | Cube mould, 150 mm cast iron, each | BS EN 12390-1 | 4,000 to 9,000 |
| Concrete | Slump cone set | ASTM C143, BS EN 12350-2 | 6,000 to 15,000 |
| Concrete | Laboratory concrete mixer, 50 to 100 litre | Trial mixes | 150,000 to 350,000 |
| Concrete | Vibrating table | Specimen compaction | 80,000 to 200,000 |
| Soil | Hot air drying oven, 50 to 100 litre | ASTM D2216 | 90,000 to 250,000 |
| Soil | CBR testing machine with moulds, manual | ASTM D1883, BS 1377 | 250,000 to 500,000 |
| Soil | FDT sand replacement set | ASTM D1556 | 25,000 to 60,000 |
| Soil | Speedy moisture tester | ASTM D4944 | 60,000 to 150,000 |
| Soil | Nuclear moisture density gauge | ASTM D6938 | 3,500,000 to 6,000,000 |
| Aggregate | Test sieve, 200 mm brass, each | ASTM E11 | 4,000 to 12,000 |
| Aggregate | Sieve shaker | Grading | 120,000 to 350,000 |
| Aggregate | Los Angeles abrasion machine | ASTM C131 | 450,000 to 1,000,000 |
| Aggregate | Digital balance, 30 kg by 1 g | General weighing | 40,000 to 120,000 |
| Asphalt | Marshall testing machine with compactor | ASTM D6927 | 400,000 to 2,000,000 |
| Asphalt | Bitumen extractor, centrifuge | ASTM D2172 | 250,000 to 600,000 |
| Asphalt | Asphalt ignition oven | ASTM D6307 | 2,500,000 to 5,000,000 |
| Cement | Blaine air permeability apparatus | ASTM C204 | 60,000 to 250,000 |
| Steel | Universal testing machine, 600 to 1000 kN | ASTM A370 | 2,500,000 to 9,000,000 |
Concrete lab equipment
The concrete lab is built around the compression testing machine, and it is the single biggest decision in the budget. A 2000 kN machine covers every structural grade used in Pakistan; we explain capacity, loading rate and calibration in detail in compression testing machine price in Pakistan.
Around it you need cube or cylinder moulds by the set, a slump cone with base plate and tamping rod, a vibrating table or poker for consistent compaction, a curing tank held near 20 to 27 degrees Celsius, and for mix design work a small laboratory mixer. A core drill earns its place on any job where cube results get disputed, and a flexural beam tester is needed for rigid pavement concrete.
Buy moulds in multiples of the daily pour count. A site casting 6 cubes a day, demoulded at 24 hours, needs at least 12 moulds, and in practice 18, because two will always be out of square or missing a bolt.
Soil testing equipment
Soil testing equipment covers classification, compaction and field density. The lab side is a drying oven at 110 plus or minus 5 degrees Celsius, balances, a sieve set, Atterberg limit apparatus, Proctor compaction moulds and rammers, and a CBR machine for subgrade design. The field side is a sand replacement density set or a nuclear gauge, and a speedy moisture tester.
The nuclear moisture density gauge is fast, a reading in a few minutes, but it carries a sealed radioactive source and needs Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority authorisation, a trained operator and secure storage. Most contractors start with the sand replacement method and add a gauge only when a road job needs hundreds of density tests a month.
What is a sieve shaker used for?
A sieve shaker grades soil or aggregate by shaking a stack of sieves for a fixed time, typically 10 to 15 minutes, so every sample is treated the same way. Hand sieving works for one test a week. It does not work for a crusher plant or a road job testing every lot, and it produces grading curves that drift with whoever is on shift.
The detail that catches labs out is sieve size. A 200 mm sieve is fine for sand and fine aggregate, but the sample mass needed for 25 to 37.5 mm coarse aggregate overloads it. Buy 300 mm sieves for coarse aggregate, or run the sample in several portions and accept the extra time.
Aggregate, asphalt and cement lab equipment
Aggregate testing adds toughness and shape: the Los Angeles abrasion machine with its steel charge, aggregate impact and crushing value apparatus, and flakiness and elongation gauges. Road specifications in Pakistan usually cap LA abrasion loss at around 30 to 40 percent for base and wearing courses, so this machine decides whether a quarry is accepted.
An asphalt lab, required on most NHA and provincial highway jobs, needs a Marshall testing machine with compaction hammer and pedestal, a bitumen extractor or ignition oven for binder content, plus penetration, softening point and ductility apparatus for the bitumen itself. The ignition oven is faster and avoids solvents, but it is the most expensive item in the list and draws heavy power.
For cement, the lab is smaller: Vicat apparatus for setting time and consistency, Le Chatelier moulds for soundness, mortar cube moulds and a compression machine for strength, and the Blaine air permeability apparatus for fineness. Cement plants run all of it daily. Large contractors usually only need setting time and mortar cube strength to check a doubtful batch.
What does a contractor's site lab need, and what does it cost?
Nobody publishes this, so here is the kit we see consultants accept on building and road projects around Rawalpindi and Islamabad, with indicative market ranges.
Lean building site lab, about PKR 1.1 to 1.6 million. Hand operated 2000 kN compression machine, 12 to 18 cube moulds, slump cone, 100 litre oven, two balances (30 kg by 1 g and 600 g by 0.01 g), a fine and coarse sieve set without shaker, sand replacement density set, speedy moisture tester, Proctor mould and rammer, and a locally made curing tank.
Standard contractor lab, about PKR 2.2 to 3.2 million. As above, with a digital compression machine, a larger oven, a sieve shaker and a manual CBR rig.
Highway lab, about PKR 4 to 7 million. Add a Marshall machine, bitumen extractor, LA abrasion machine and the bitumen test apparatus. An ignition oven or nuclear gauge sits on top of that.
Two things that go wrong on site. First, power: an oven needs 16 to 24 hours unbroken at temperature, and a three hour load-shedding cut overnight means re-running the tests. Put the oven and the compression pump on the generator changeover, not the UPS. Second, certificates: the resident engineer's first lab inspection asks for calibration certificates for the compression machine and balances, usually not older than 12 months. Have them in a file before the inspection, not after.
What we supply
Our civil engineering lab equipment range includes the concrete compression testing machine, hot air drying oven, sieves and shaker, CBR testing machine, FDT test set apparatus, speedy moisture tester, laboratory digital balance, Marshall testing machine, bitumen extractor, asphalt ignition oven, Los Angeles abrasion machine, Blaine air permeability apparatus and the Troxler moisture density gauge.
For non-destructive checks on hardened concrete, see the rebound hammer test guide.
Ask for today's price
Send us the project type, the consultant's test list if you have it, and the site's power situation, and we will price a complete lab against it. Send us a WhatsApp for today's price, with delivery across Pakistan.
What we supply
Equipment covered in this guide
Concrete Compression Testing Machine
The machine every cube result on a project comes off. Supplied with the platens, the cage and a calibration certificate.
Hot Air Drying Oven
Forced convection ovens for moisture content and sample preparation, in the standard laboratory capacities.
FDT Test Set Apparatus
Sand replacement field density kit: cylinder, cone, base plate and calibrated sand, for compaction acceptance.
FAQ
Questions buyers ask us
What equipment is needed for a civil engineering site lab?
A basic contractor's site lab needs about 12 items: a compression testing machine, 12 or more cube moulds, a slump cone, a drying oven, two balances, a sieve set with shaker, a sand replacement density set, a speedy moisture tester, a Proctor mould and a curing tank. Road jobs add CBR and Marshall equipment.
How much does it cost to set up a civil engineering site lab in Pakistan?
Indicative 2026 market ranges: a lean building site lab with a hand operated compression machine costs about PKR 1.1 to 1.6 million. A standard lab with a digital machine, sieve shaker and CBR rig costs PKR 2.2 to 3.2 million. A highway lab with asphalt equipment runs PKR 4 to 7 million.
What is the price of a drying oven in Pakistan?
A 50 to 100 litre laboratory hot air oven for moisture content and sample drying sells for about PKR 90,000 to 250,000 in 2026. A 200 to 250 litre oven for a busy soil or aggregate lab runs PKR 250,000 to 450,000. Stainless interiors and digital controllers cost more and last longer.
What is a sieve shaker used for?
A sieve shaker vibrates a stack of up to 8 to 10 test sieves so a soil or aggregate sample separates by particle size consistently, usually in 10 to 15 minutes. It replaces hand sieving, which varies from technician to technician and gives grading curves a consultant will question.
What does a soil testing lab need?
At minimum: a drying oven held at 110 degrees Celsius, balances reading to 0.01 g and 1 g, a sieve set with shaker, Atterberg limit apparatus, Proctor compaction moulds and rammers, and a CBR testing machine. Field work adds a sand replacement density set and a speedy moisture tester, about 9 items in total.
Does a nuclear density gauge need a licence in Pakistan?
Yes. A Troxler type moisture density gauge contains a sealed radioactive source, so the owner needs authorisation from the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority, a trained operator and a secure storage box. Budget 2 to 4 months for the paperwork before the gauge can be used on site.
