FprEN 17732
(Main)Soil improvers and growing media - Terminology
- Abstract
This document specifies terminology for soil improvers and growing media.
Annex A contains an overview of all terms defined in this document in alphabetical order.
- Status
- Not Published
- Publication Date
- 06-Jan-2027
- Technical Committee
- CEN/TC 223 - Soil improvers and growing media
- Drafting Committee
- CEN/TC 223/WG 3 - Sampling
- Current Stage
- 5020 - Submission to Vote - Formal Approval
- Start Date
- 17-Sep-2026
- Due Date
- 04-Nov-2026
- Completion Date
- 17-Sep-2026
FprEN 17732 is a CEN draft European standard for the terminology used in soil improvers and growing media. It defines shared terms for products, components, processing, sampling, physical and chemical properties, biological properties and safety so that labels, specifications, test reports and other standards use the same language. The document is meant for people who write, buy, test or regulate these materials.
What does FprEN 17732 specify?
FprEN 17732 specifies terminology for soil improvers and growing media. It is a vocabulary document, so its role is to fix the meaning of key terms rather than set product limits or performance requirements.
The document is organized into Clause 1 Scope, Clause 2 Normative references, Clause 3 Terms and definitions, Annex A and a bibliography. Annex A gives an alphabetical list of all defined terms, which makes the vocabulary easier to search and use in other documents.
Clause 3 is divided into practical groups:
- general terms
- terms relating to products
- terms relating to components
- terms relating to processing and manufacture
- terms relating to sampling
- terms relating to chemical properties
- terms relating to physical and physico-chemical properties
- terms relating to biological properties
- terms relating to safety
What are the key requirements of FprEN 17732?
FprEN 17732 requires users of the standard to apply the defined terms as the common wording for the sector. In practice, that means people writing standards, technical specifications, labels or test reports should use the same definitions when they describe a soil improver, a growing medium or a related test result.
Product and component terminology
Clause 3.2 defines the core material categories: growing medium, growing medium component, pre-shaped growing medium, soil improver and soil improver component. These terms matter because they distinguish the finished material from the ingredient used to make it, which helps with product description and product comparison.
Processing and manufacture terms
Clause 3.4 defines processes such as anaerobic digestion, composting, drying, extraction, fiberization, pyrolysis, sanitation and sieving. It also defines hydraulic retention time (HRT), which is the average residence time of material in a digester. These terms support consistent process descriptions in manufacturing, quality control and technical files.
Sampling terms
Clause 3.5 defines batch, consignment, combined sample, final sample, laboratory sample, sample portion, test sample and test portion. This matters in practice because sampling chains affect whether a laboratory result can fairly represent a lot of material.
Chemical, physical and biological property terms
Clauses 3.6 and 3.7 define terms such as CAT, bioavailability, soluble nutrient, bulk density, electrical conductivity, particle size distribution, stability, total carbon, total inorganic carbon and total organic carbon. Clause 3.8 covers specific pathogens, colony forming unit (cfu) and sterilization. These definitions give a common basis for laboratory testing and product comparison.
Safety terminology
Clause 3.9 defines contaminant, pollutant, hazard, harm, risk, safety, reasonably foreseeable misuse and potentially toxic element. These terms help users discuss product safety and decide what needs to be controlled, assessed or documented.
What terms does FprEN 17732 define?
- Growing medium - material, other than soil in situ, in which plants or mushrooms are grown.
- Soil improver - material added to soil in situ to maintain, improve or protect soil properties, structure or biological activity.
- Hydraulic retention time (HRT) - the average time material stays in a digester vessel.
- Colony forming unit (cfu) - the visible growth that develops from individual bacterial cells on agar media.
- Bulk density - a standardized indication of how much 1 litre of product weighs.
- Stability - the degree of processing and biodegradation at which biological activity has slowed to a low, consistent level.
- Risk - the combination of the probability of harm and the severity of that harm.
- Contaminant - an unwanted substance, material or agent in a soil improver or growing medium.
Who uses FprEN 17732?
FprEN 17732 is used by standards writers, manufacturers, laboratories, test houses, quality managers, buyers and regulators working with soil improvers and growing media. It is especially useful in horticulture, composting, digestate processing, biochar-related products and other materials used to improve soil or support plant growth.
It helps these users when they:
- write product descriptions and labels
- prepare technical specifications
- sample and test materials
- compare laboratory results
- assess safety and contamination
- align internal documents with the same vocabulary
What changed in FprEN 17732 from the previous edition?
FprEN 17732 will supersede CEN/TS 17732:2022. The foreword states that redundant information was removed from the Introduction and several definitions in Clause 3 were updated.
What does the FprEN 17732 document contain?
FprEN 17732 contains the scope, a short introduction, a terminology clause with definitions grouped by topic, and an informative alphabetical index in Annex A. The bibliography lists related references used in the background of the document.
The main value of the document is the set of defined terms for products, components, processes, sampling and safety. That makes it useful as a reference for drafting standards, writing specifications, checking labels and explaining test results.
Relations
- Effective Date
- 16-Sep-2026
- Effective Date
- 28-Jan-2026
- Effective Date
- 28-Jan-2026
- Effective Date
- 28-Jan-2026
- Effective Date
- 28-Jan-2026
- Effective Date
- 28-Jan-2026
- Effective Date
- 28-Jan-2026
- Effective Date
- 28-Jan-2026
- Effective Date
- 28-Jan-2026
- Effective Date
- 28-Jan-2026
- Effective Date
- 20-Nov-2024
- Revises
CR 13456:1999 - Soil improvers and growing media - Labelling, specifications and product schedules - Effective Date
- 19-Jan-2023
- Effective Date
- 06-Nov-2019
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Frequently Asked Questions
FprEN 17732 is a draft published by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN). Its full title is "Soil improvers and growing media - Terminology". This standard covers: This document specifies terminology for soil improvers and growing media. Annex A contains an overview of all terms defined in this document in alphabetical order.
This document specifies terminology for soil improvers and growing media. Annex A contains an overview of all terms defined in this document in alphabetical order.
FprEN 17732 is classified under the following ICS (International Classification for Standards) categories: 01.040.65 - Agriculture (Vocabularies); 65.080 - Fertilizers. The ICS classification helps identify the subject area and facilitates finding related standards.
FprEN 17732 has the following relationships with other standards: It is inter standard links to EN 16202:2026, EN ISO 14630:2024, EN ISO 17665:2024, EN ISO 16061:2021, EN ISO 7199:2024, EN ISO 11607-1:2020, EN ISO 5840-1:2021, EN ISO 8637-2:2024, CEN ISO/TS 16775:2021, EN ISO 20695:2020, CEN/TS 17732:2022, CR 13456:1999, CR 13455:1999. Understanding these relationships helps ensure you are using the most current and applicable version of the standard.
FprEN 17732 is associated with the following European legislation: EU Directives/Regulations: 2019/1009; Standardization Mandates: M/564, M/564 Amd 1, M/564 Amd 2. When a standard is cited in the Official Journal of the European Union, products manufactured in conformity with it benefit from a presumption of conformity with the essential requirements of the corresponding EU directive or regulation.
FprEN 17732 is available in PDF format for immediate download after purchase. The document can be added to your cart and obtained through the secure checkout process. Digital delivery ensures instant access to the complete standard document.
Standards Content (Sample)
SLOVENSKI STANDARD
oSIST prEN 17732:2026
01-januar-2026
Izboljševalci tal in rastni substrati - Terminologija
Soil improvers and growing media - Terminology
Bodenverbesserungsmittel und Kultursubstrate - Vokabular und Kennzeichnung
Amendements du sol et supports de culture - Terminologie
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN 17732
ICS:
01.040.65 Kmetijstvo (Slovarji) Agriculture (Vocabularies)
65.080 Gnojila Fertilizers
oSIST prEN 17732:2026 en,fr,de
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.
oSIST prEN 17732:2026
oSIST prEN 17732:2026
DRAFT
EUROPEAN STANDARD
prEN 17732
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
December 2025
ICS 01.040.65; 65.080 Will supersede CEN/TS 17732:2022
English Version
Soil improvers and growing media - Terminology
Amendements du sol et supports de culture - Bodenverbesserungsmittel und Kultursubstrate -
Terminologie Vokabular und Kennzeichnung
This draft European Standard is submitted to CEN members for enquiry. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee
CEN/TC 223.
If this draft becomes a European Standard, CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations
which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.
This draft European Standard was established by CEN in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other
language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are
aware and to provide supporting documentation.
Warning : This document is not a European Standard. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without
notice and shall not be referred to as a European Standard.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2025 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. prEN 17732:2025 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.
oSIST prEN 17732:2026
prEN 17732:2025 (E)
Contents Page
European foreword . 3
Introduction . 4
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 5
3.1 General terms . 5
3.2 Terms relating to products . 6
3.3 Terms relating to components . 6
3.4 Terms relating to processing and manufacture . 8
3.5 Terms relating to sampling . 9
3.6 Terms relating to chemical properties . 10
3.7 Terms relating to physical and physico-chemical properties . 10
3.8 Terms relating to biological properties . 13
3.9 Terms relating to safety . 13
Annex A (informative) All terms defined in this document in alphabetical order . 15
Bibliography . 17
oSIST prEN 17732:2026
prEN 17732:2025 (E)
European foreword
This document (prEN 17732:2025) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 223 “Soil
improvers and growing media”, the secretariat of which is held by NEN.
This document is currently submitted to the CEN Enquiry.
This document will supersede CEN/TS 17732:2022.
prEN 17732:2025 includes the following significant technical changes with respect to
CEN/TS 17732:2022:
— Redundant information has been removed from the Introduction;
— Several definitions have been updated in Clause 3, Terms and definitions.
This document has been prepared under a Standardization Request given to CEN by the European
Commission and the European Free Trade Association.
oSIST prEN 17732:2026
prEN 17732:2025 (E)
Introduction
Standards requested in Standardization Request M/564 related to soil improvers and growing media use
common terminology. For ease of reference, to simplify standardization work and to avoid unnecessary
repetitions such common terminology is included in this document. In this way, any document where the
relevant terminology is used could refer to this document.
oSIST prEN 17732:2026
prEN 17732:2025 (E)
1 Scope
This document specifies terminology for soil improvers and growing media.
Annex A contains an overview of all terms defined in this document in alphabetical order.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp/
— IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
3.1 General terms
3.1.1
additional labelling
information which can be shown on the package, label or on the accompanying documents
3.1.2
container
receptacle or vessel in which material is delivered, including a lorry, ship, boat and packaging
3.1.3
intended use
application of a product, process or service in accordance with information provided by the supplier
3.1.4
labelling requirements
information which is shown on the package, label or on the accompanying documents
3.1.5
package
container and materials contained therein which are delivered and where the packaging remains with
the material after delivery
Note 1 to entry: A package may be a loose-filled sack, a big bale or a compressed block in packaging.
3.1.6
strike
transparent sheet of flat material, for instance toughened glass or acrylic glass which is easily large
enough to cover the top of the measuring cylinder
Note 1 to entry: Used to calibrate measuring cylinder.
3.1.7
user
anybody applying the product, including professional and non-professional (amateur) persons
oSIST prEN 17732:2026
prEN 17732:2025 (E)
3.2 Terms relating to products
3.2.1
growing medium
material, other than soil in situ, in which plants or mushrooms are grown
3.2.2
growing medium component
material which is suitable as an ingredient of growing media
3.2.3
pre-shaped growing medium
solid, regular shaped, stable growing medium, which is ready for use as a growing medium, where the
dimensions are stable, including mineral wool and polyurethane products
3.2.4
soil improver
material added to soil in situ primarily to maintain, improve or protect the physical or chemical
properties, the structure or the biological activity of the soil
3.2.5
soil improver component
material which is suitable as an ingredient of soil improvers
3.3 Terms relating to components
3.3.1
ash
residual mineral matter remaining after the destruction of organic matter/material by controlled burning
Note 1 to entry: Such residues may be used as fertilizers, for example, plant ash and animal ash, containing mainly
potassium salts and phosphates.
3.3.2
biochar
porous, carbonaceous material that is produced by pyrolysis of organic material
3.3.3
coir
fibrous husk (mesocarp) of the coconut (Cocos nucifera), underlying the smooth outermost layer
(exocarp), surrounding the hard woody layer (endocarp)
Note 1 to entry: Coir consists of fibres and pith.
3.3.4
compost
solid particulate material that is the result of a thermophilic aerobic composting of biodegradable matter
by microorganisms, which has been sanitised and stabilised
3.3.5
digestate
solid or liquid product that is the result of anaerobic digestion of biodegradable materials by
microorganisms
oSIST prEN 17732:2026
prEN 17732:2025 (E)
3.3.6
digestate other than fresh crop digestate
component material designated as CMC 5
Note 1 to entry: Further information can be found in the Regulation (EU) 2019/1009.
3.3.7
fresh crop digestate
component material designated as CMC 4
Note 1 to entry: Further information can be found in the Regulation (EU) 2019/1009.
3.3.8
industrial sludge
semi-liquid residue or slurry that remains after the treatment of industrial water and wastewater
3.3.9
leonardite
soft waxy, black or brown, shiny, vitreous mineraloid
Note 1 to entry: Leonardite is an oxidation product of lignite, associated with near-surface mining.
3.3.10
lignite
fossil, soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed organic material in
the absence of oxygen (coalification)
Note 1 to entry: Lignite is often referred to as brown coal.
3.3.11
organic material
material of plant and/or animal origin
3.3.12
peat
weakly to strongly decomposed (humified) plant material consisting of non-fossil organic matter that has
sedentarily accumulated in a water-saturated environment (mire) in the absence of oxygen
3.3.13
Sphagnum
plant genus of peat mosses
Note 1 to entry: The division Bryophyta, comprising the family Sphagnaceae contains one genus, Sphagnum, to
which 292 (worldwide) known species of peat mosses are assigned to.
3.3.14
virgin material
raw material that has been mined, extracted or harvested and has never been previously used, developed,
or processed
3.3.15
wood fibre
fiberized wood chips to which, if necessary, conditioning agents are added during the mechanical-thermal
or steam-treatment fiberization process to stabilize the nitrogen imbalance or to dye the fibres
oSIST prEN 17732:2026
prEN 17732:2025 (E)
3.4 Terms relating to processing and manufacture
3.4.1
anaerobic digestion
controlled decomposition of biodegradable materials which is predominately anaerobic and at
temperatures suitable for mesophilic or thermophilic bacteria
3.4.2
composting
controlled decomposition of biodegradable materials, which is predominantly aerobic and which allows
the development of temperatures suitable for thermophilic bacteria as a result of biologically produced
heat
3.4.3
drying
process to dry a material in order to reduce its moisture content, which can be achieved under natural
conditions (e.g. drying of extracted peat or coir by wind and sun) or thermally (e.g. in a drying oven)
3.4.4
extraction
process of removing inorganic raw material (e.g. perlite, diabas) or organic raw material (e.g. peat) from
its natural deposit for further processing
3.4.5
fiberization
mechanical-thermal extrusion or steam treatment of wood chips, the purpose of which is to generate high
pressure and high temperatures up to 150 °C or higher, breaking the wood chips into wood fibres which
are used as a growing media component
3.4.6
frost treatment
natural, in the field freezing through of extracted strongly decomposed peat to improve its physical
properties (water capacity and air capacity) as a growing media component
3.4.7
hydraulic retention time
HRT
average residence time of the material in the digester vessel, determined by the loading rate and
operational digester capacity
Note 1 to entry: The hydraulic retention time can be calculated by dividing the digester working volume (in m ) by
the rate of flow of input materials into the digester (in m per day).
3.4.8
milling
process of grinding, cutting, pressing or crushing a material in a mill or by using a milling machine
3.4.9
pyrolysis
chemical decomposition of organic mate
...