Abstract: The moisture content is an important property of soils and is an index of mechanical property. The moisture content can be determined by various different methods. Of many testing methods, this paper presents the comparative test results on the moisture contents of red clay samples from QinghaiTibet with oven dry as well as microwave dry methods. The test results indicate that the moisture contents tested by oven dry and microwave dry are similar. The plastic indices obtained by both methods are also similar. For the QinghaiTibet red clay, the moisture contents by oven and microwave method can be substituted.

Key words: QinghaiTibet Red Clay, Moisture Content, Oven Dry Method, Microwave Dry Method, Plasticity