This International Standard specifies a method of checking the performance of mechanical devices for sampling fertilizers moving in bulk by comparison of particle size distribution with that obtained by a refer-ence method.
It is applicable to any form of mechanical sampling device installed at some point in a bulk-handling sys-tem, providing that either the fertilizer passes along a conveyor belt, before or after the device, or it is sub-sequently packed in bags in order that a reference collection can be made.
NOTE 1 Although the mechanical sampling may be used for the collection of samples for chemical analysis instead of or as well as for physical testing, any bias will be more easily and economically found by size analysis than by chemical analysis of the nutrients.