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Your Frequently Asked Question
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Q) What is specific gravity?
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A) Specific Gravity is a value used to convert a measure of volume, such as litres, into a measure of weight, such as kilograms or tones. It is required in HWIN to accurately determine the fees chargeable to hazardous waste generated on-site that has been shown in litres or other measure of volume (usually applicable to liquid materials).
The value has been determined by the scientific community or by individual testing, and for most non-mixed materials may be found in the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for that material, provided by the manufacturer by law. Mixed material may require testing to determine an accurate specific gravity; alternatively, the SG value for the predominant component of the mixture may be used if the generator is confident that it represents the specific gravity of the whole mixture.
Many websites provide scientific information on materials, including specific gravitieis. One such search site is www.msdssearch.com, although you may wish to search for “msds” on a search engine for other websites.
An example of a specific gravity conversion: 100L of oil by volume with specific gravity of 0.90 equals 90 kg oil by weight (100L x 0.90 = 90 kg)
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