Bitumen is the binder in asphalt mixtures, and its response to temperature decides whether a road layer will rut in summer or crack in winter. Bitumen testing characterises exactly that: its hardness at a reference temperature and the temperature at which it softens.

A separate group of tests applies to the finished asphalt mixture and checks composition and compaction: binder content and aggregate grading are recovered by extraction, while Marshall density, air voids and Marshall stability show whether the mixture has been designed and compacted correctly.

Our laboratory also produces asphalt concrete mix designs to the BS EN 13108 series, setting the aggregate and binder proportions for the required pavement layer.

The tests below — two on bitumen itself and six on bituminous mixtures — are those our laboratory is accredited for under ISO/IEC 17025, certificate LT 069:

 

  1. Softening point (ring and ball) — 0.1÷130 °C — BS EN 1427:2015; BS 2000-58:2015; ASTM D36/D36M-14(2020)
  2. Penetration — 5÷330 dmm — BS EN 1426:2015; BS 2000-49:2015
  3. Soluble binder content by extraction — 3.0÷6.0 % — BS EN 12697-1:2020; BS EN 12697-27:2017
  4. Grading of the extracted aggregate — 0.063÷50 mm — ASTM D2172/D2172M-17e1; BS EN 12697-2:2015+A1:2019; BS EN 12697-27:2017
  5. Marshall bulk density — 2.0÷2.7 g/cm³ — BS EN 12697-6:2020
  6. Air void content — 0.1÷9.0 % — ASTM D3203-22; BS EN 12697-8:2018
  7. Marshall stability — 0.1÷50 kN; flow 0.05÷10 mm — BS EN 12697-34:2020; ASTM D6927-22
  8. Asphalt concrete mix design — BS EN 13108-1:2016; BS EN 13108-4:2016; BS EN 13108-20:2016

Please contact us for further details

Accreditation

Independently verified competence

Our laboratory is accredited by the General Directorate of Accreditation (DPA) of the Republic of Albania to S SH ISO/IEC 17025:2017, “General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories”.

ISO/IEC170252017
Testing Laboratory

Registration number LT 069. Granted 08.06.2025 and valid until 07.06.2029. The certificate is issued together with its accredited scope.

View certificate (PDF)

ISO/IEC170252017
Calibration Laboratory

Registration number LK 005. Granted 06.08.2025 and valid until 05.08.2029. The certificate is issued together with its accredited scope.

View certificate (PDF)

DPA is a signatory of the EA MLA and the ILAC MRA for testing.