Soilmoisture Equipmentora
SoilMoisture Equipment Corp. is a 70-year-old privately held manufacturer based in Goleta, California, that develops scientific instruments — sensors, tensiometers, permeameters, lysimeters, moisture retention curve systems, and proprietary porous ceramics — for measuring soil hydrology, sold to universities, government agencies, engineering firms, and agricultural operations worldwide through a 50-country dealer network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1955
- HeadquartersGoleta, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Soilmoisture Equipmentora does
SoilMoisture Equipment Corp. is a privately held specialty scientific instrument manufacturer founded in 1955 in Goleta, California, by Percy Skaling in collaboration with Dr. L.A. Richards of the United States Salinity Lab. The company develops and manufactures instruments for the environmental quality assessment of soil, water, and plants, with a product portfolio spanning soil moisture sensors, tensiometers, moisture retention curve (pressure plate) laboratory systems, permeameters and infiltrometers, lysimeters and growth chambers, soil water samplers, plant water potential consoles, data acquisition systems, and proprietary porous ceramic components (8 distinct types with controlled porosity and permeability). Its products are ASTM D6836 compliant and are used by USDA National Soil Labs for the US National Soil Survey, as well as by universities, research institutions, and engineering firms globally.
The company operates a hybrid distribution model combining direct sales through its website with quote-based ordering and an authorized global dealer network of more than 50 regional distributors covering North America, South America, Central America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Oceania. Key channel partners include Stevens Water Monitoring Systems (USA, also its parent company since October 2022), Hoskin Scientific (Canada), LAPACA (Latin America), UGT GmbH (Germany/Austria), and Eijkelkamp (Netherlands/Belgium). Pricing is opaque and quote-driven, with discrete components ranging from approximately $13 (replacement o-rings) to over $7,800 per pressure vessel, and complete laboratory systems priced at roughly $5,000–$15,000+. Revenue derives primarily from hardware sales of instruments and replacement parts, custom-manufactured porous ceramics, and supporting technical consultation.
SoilMoisture's customer base spans five primary vertical segments: universities and research institutions (using MC Lab Systems, TDR sensors, and permeameters for soil physics and hydrology research); engineering firms (using permeameters and infiltrometers for civil infrastructure projects); agriculture (using tensiometers and sensors for irrigation scheduling and turf/golf course management, with the SOI product launched in February 2024 targeting this segment); government and utilities (for water resource policy, landslide monitoring, and flood control); and environmental services (for contaminant and bioremediation work). The firm has accumulated more than 40 patents across its history, including foundational TDR technology co-developed with Dr. G.C. Topp in the early 1980s. In October 2022 the Whitney Skaling family sold the company to Stevens Water Monitoring Systems and Alan Farsad (PhD Soil Physics), who serves as President.
Soilmoisture Equipmentora firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Soilmoisture Equipmentora
- Legal name
- SoilMoisture Equipment Corp.
- Website
- https://soilmoisture.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1955
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- SoilMoisture Equipment Corp. is a 70-year-old privately held manufacturer based in Goleta, California, that develops scientific instruments — sensors, tensiometers, permeameters, lysimeters, moisture retention curve systems, and proprietary porous ceramics — for measuring soil hydrology, sold to universities, government agencies, engineering firms, and agricultural operations worldwide through a 50-country dealer network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Soilmoisture Equipmentora industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Soil Hydrology and Environmental Measurement Instruments
- NAICS
- Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)
- SIC
- Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Soil Testing & Nutrient Analysis Services (AFACAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Irrigation Monitoring & Sensors (Flow/Pressure Meters, Soil Moisture, Water Quality Sensors) (AFABAHAJ)
Keywords
Where Soilmoisture Equipmentora is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Goleta
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Soilmoisture Equipmentora business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Scientific Instrumentation Sales: Sale of soil hydrology measurement instruments including sensors, permeameters, lysimeters, moisture retention curve systems, and porous ceramics to research institutions, universities, government agencies, and commercial laboratories.
- Replacement Parts and Components: Ongoing sales of replacement parts, extraction plates, pressure vessels, sensors, and consumables for existing instrumentation systems.
- Custom Manufacturing Services: Custom-made ceramic items manufactured to customer specifications for researchers and manufacturers worldwide, producing thousands of custom ceramic units annually.
- Technical Support and Consultation: Product-related technical support and consultation services for instrument selection, installation, and application guidance.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Extraction Plates (EP series) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Pressure Stabilizers (SB series) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Heavy Duty Air Compressors (PM20 series) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Vacuum Stabilizers |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Pressure Vessels (PV series) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | O-Rings and Replacement Parts |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Complete MC Lab Setup Systems |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Soilmoisture Equipmentora product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Soilmoisture Equipment Corp. designs, manufactures, and distributes scientific instruments for measuring soil moisture, water potential, hydraulic conductivity, and permeability, along with proprietary porous ceramic components. Products include soil sensors, ASTM D6836-compliant moisture retention curve laboratory systems, permeameters and infiltrometers, lysimeters and growth chambers, soil water samplers, plant water potential consoles, data acquisition systems, and custom-manufactured porous ceramics sold to research institutions, universities, government agencies, engineering firms, and agricultural operations worldwide.
Product overview
SoilMoisture Equipment Corp. offers a comprehensive portfolio of soil hydrology and environmental monitoring instruments. The product line includes soil sensors (HandiTrase, HydraGo, HydraProbe, GroPoint, SAGE, Tensiometers), laboratory Moisture Retention Curve Systems (MC Complete Lab Setup Systems with components like pressure vessels, extraction plates, and stabilizers), permeameters and infiltrometers (PR16, PR80, PR40, PR25, PR15, PR30), lysimeters and growth chambers (UGT EcoLab Flex, EcoClim, Easy-To-Go, Ready-To-Go), soil water samplers, plant water potential consoles, data acquisition systems (SkyView360, Steelhead), and porous ceramics. These products serve agriculture, research, engineering, and environmental science applications, functioning as both standalone instruments and integrated systems for measuring soil moisture, water potential, permeability, and related parameters.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Soil Sensors Sensors for measuring soil moisture content, temperature, and salinity across field and research deployments.
- MC Complete Lab Setup Systems (Moisture Retention Curve Systems) ASTM D6836-compliant laboratory systems for determining soil moisture retention curves, available in 5 bar, 15 bar, combined, sandbox tension, and ceramic tension configurations.
- Permeameters and Infiltrometers Instruments for measuring soil permeability, hydraulic conductivity, and water infiltration rates in lab and field settings.
- Lysimeters and Growth Chambers Instruments for measuring soil water balance, evapotranspiration, and plant-soil interactions, including lysimeters and climate-controlled growth chambers.
- Soil Water Samplers (Cup Lysimeters) Cup lysimeters in slim, field, and plate configurations for extracting soil water samples for chemical and physical analysis.
- Plant Water Potential Consoles Consoles and accessories for measuring plant water potential to determine plant water stress and guide irrigation scheduling.
- Data Acquisition Systems and Weather Station Sensors Environmental monitoring data acquisition systems and weather station sensors for collecting and logging meteorological and hydrological data.
- Other Lab and Field Equipment Supplementary soil analysis equipment for particle analysis, density measurement, sample preparation, and mechanical soil testing.
- Porous Ceramics Proprietary precision porous ceramic components manufactured in eight grades, used as consumables and integral parts of tensiometers, pressure plates, and tension tables.
- HandiTrase Portable Profiling Probe Portable probe for in-field soil moisture, temperature, and salinity spot-checks linked to mobile applications with GPS coordinates.
- SOI (Spot On Irrigation) Tensiometer Zero-maintenance tensiometer displaying soil moisture status on a 7-coin visual indicator for immediate, calibration-free irrigation decisions.
- UGT EcoLab Flex Modular ecotron system for environmental research, available in single or double station configurations with stackable lysimeters.
- EcoClim Growth Chamber Climate-controlled growth chamber with two zones, CO2 control, and lysimeter accommodation for plant-soil research.
- UGT Easy-To-Go Lysimeter Low-cost 300x600 mm field lysimeter with integrated soil moisture, temperature, and weighing sensors and NB-IoT wireless data uplink.
- Air/Gas Pycnometer Laboratory pycnometer for measuring air-filled pore volume, solid volume, and dry bulk density of soil samples.
- UGT 5-Fold Peristaltic Pump System PPS-5 Five-channel tabletop peristaltic pump system for laboratory liquid dosing and conveyance at low flow rates.
Quantifiable outcome
- ASTM D6836 compliance ensures measurement accuracy and reproducibility for soil moisture retention curves
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Soilmoisture Equipmentora
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Soilmoisture Equipmentora technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Soilmoisture Equipmentora partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- Stevens Water Monitoring Systems, Inc.coreStevens Water Monitoring Systems acquired SoilMoisture Equipment Corp. in October 2022. Stevens is the parent company and also serves as the authorized USA dealer. Stevens brings environmental data acquisition, water resource, and soil science monitoring expertise to complement SoilMoisture's soil physics and soil hydrology expertise.
- UGT GmbHmajorUGT GmbH (Germany) is a partner manufacturer supplying EcoLab Flex, Easy-To-Go Lysimeter, Ready-To-Go Lysimeter, EcoClim Growth Chamber, Sedimat 4-12, Air/Gas Pycnometer, 5-fold Peristaltic Pump System, and Overhead Shaker products distributed through SoilMoisture.
- Dr. G.C. Topp / University of TorontomajorHistorical collaboration in early 1980s to develop the first commercially available portable TDR soil moisture sensor (Trase TDR), based on the Topp Equation published in 1980.
- Dr. L.A. Richards / US Salinity LabmajorFounding collaboration with renowned soil physics scientist Dr. L.A. Richards at the United States Salinity Lab (now UC Riverside) for bringing new measurement instruments to the market in soil physics, soil hydrology, and agronomy.
- Global Dealer NetworkmajorExtensive global dealer network including: Stevens Water Monitoring Systems (USA), Hoskin Scientific (Canada), LAPACA (Central/South America), ALEMAR (Brazil), TECNAL (Brazil), ANALAB (Spain), Eijkelkamp (Netherlands/Belgium), UGT GmbH (Germany/Austria), and 50+ other regional distributors.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Soilmoisture Equipmentora competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- METER Group (formerly Decagon Devices): METER Group is a direct competitor in soil moisture, temperature, and electrical conductivity sensors (e.g., TEROS, EC-5, 10HS) for research, agriculture, and environmental monitoring. It competes head-to-head with SoilMoisture's TDR (Trase), HydraProbe, and GroPoint lines and is the de facto modern alternative for many research labs.
- Irrometer Company: Irrometer manufactures tensiometers and soil moisture instruments (e.g., Watermark sensors, R, SR, and LT tensiometers) for irrigation scheduling, directly overlapping SoilMoisture's tensiometer and irrigation-focused product categories. Both companies target agriculture, turf, and landscape buyers with soil water potential measurement.
- Acclima: Acclima designs and sells TDR-based soil moisture, temperature, and salinity sensors (TrueTDR, SDI-12 series) used in irrigation, research, and environmental applications. It competes with SoilMoisture's HandiTrase and HydraGo/HydraProbe sensor lines for similar customers.
- Sentek Sensor Technologies: Sentek produces multi-depth soil moisture and salinity profiling probes (e.g., Drill & Drop, EnviroSCAN) used in agriculture, viticulture, and research. It is a direct competitor to SoilMoisture's HandiTrase portable profiling probe and broader soil sensor portfolio.
- Royal Eijkelkamp: Royal Eijkelkamp is a Dutch manufacturer of soil and water investigation equipment, including soil sampling, permeability testing, and moisture measurement instruments. It directly overlaps with SoilMoisture's permeameter, infiltrometer, and soil sampling products and also serves as a regional distributor for SoilMoisture in Netherlands/Belgium.
- ICT International: ICT International (Australia) supplies soil moisture, sap flow, and environmental sensors (e.g., TDR, ML3, ThetaProbe equivalents) used in research, agriculture, and ecology. It competes with SoilMoisture's tensiometer and TDR-based offerings in similar research and field-monitoring use cases.
Broad incumbents
- Campbell Scientific: Campbell Scientific is a broad incumbent in environmental data acquisition and measurement, offering soil moisture sensors, data loggers (CR series), and complete monitoring systems. It overlaps with SoilMoisture's sensors and data acquisition lines but serves a wider portfolio spanning weather, hydrology, and industrial monitoring.
- Stevens Water Monitoring Systems: Stevens Water Monitoring Systems is SoilMoisture's parent company and authorized USA dealer, offering data loggers, water quality sensors, and monitoring systems (HydraProbe is co-branded). It is a broad incumbent in environmental monitoring with overlapping soil sensing capabilities, particularly for water resource and hydrology applications.
- Hanna Instruments: Hanna Instruments is a broad incumbent in laboratory and field analytical instrumentation (pH, EC, multiparameter) used in agricultural testing, environmental labs, and water quality. It is comparable to SoilMoisture on the laboratory analytical instrument side, though focused on wet chemistry rather than soil hydrology.
Emerging players
- Arable Labs: Arable Labs offers the Arable Mark solar-powered, connected crop and weather sensing device with cloud analytics, targeting precision agriculture and agribusiness. It is an emerging IoT-native alternative to traditional soil moisture sensors, intersecting with SoilMoisture's agricultural irrigation and weather station product lines.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Soilmoisture Equipmentora social profiles
Digital presenceSoilmoisture Equipmentora financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Soilmoisture Equipmentora leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Soilmoisture Equipmentora funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Soilmoisture Equipmentora M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Soilmoisture Equipmentora
What does Soilmoisture Equipmentora do?
Soilmoisture Equipment Corp. designs, manufactures, and distributes scientific instruments for measuring soil moisture, water potential, hydraulic conductivity, and permeability, along with proprietary porous ceramic components. Products include soil sensors, ASTM D6836-compliant moisture retention curve laboratory systems, permeameters and infiltrometers, lysimeters and growth chambers, soil water samplers, plant water potential consoles, data acquisition systems, and custom-manufactured porous ceramics sold to research institutions, universities, government agencies, engineering firms, and agricultural operations worldwide.
Is Soilmoisture Equipmentora a public or private company?
Soilmoisture Equipmentora is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Soilmoisture Equipmentora founded?
Soilmoisture Equipmentora was founded in 1955. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Soilmoisture Equipmentora based?
Soilmoisture Equipmentora is headquartered in Goleta, United States, in the North America region.
How does Soilmoisture Equipmentora make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Scientific Instrumentation Sales are the primary driver. The others are replacement Parts and Components, custom Manufacturing Services and technical Support and Consultation.
Who are Soilmoisture Equipmentora's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are METER Group (formerly Decagon Devices), Irrometer Company, Acclima, Sentek Sensor Technologies, Royal Eijkelkamp and ICT International. Broad incumbents are Campbell Scientific, Stevens Water Monitoring Systems and Hanna Instruments. Arable Labs is listed as an emerging player.
Does Soilmoisture Equipmentora have an API?
No public API is recorded for Soilmoisture Equipmentora.
What industry is Soilmoisture Equipmentora in?
Soilmoisture Equipmentora's product category is Soil Hydrology and Environmental Measurement Instruments. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFACAKAA, Soil Testing & Nutrient Analysis Services, with a secondary code of AFABAHAJ, Irrigation Monitoring & Sensors (Flow/Pressure Meters, Soil Moisture, Water Quality Sensors). Its NAICS code is 334516 and its SIC code is 3826.