Infraconcrete
Geotechnical Investigation · SI Specialist

Geotechnical investigation Malaysia.

Specialist site investigation (SI) contractor delivering borehole drilling, in-situ testing, lab classification, and groundwater observation across all 13 Malaysian states. SI report packages submitted in JKR / BS EN 1997 (Eurocode 7) format - accepted by every major federal and state authority. CIDB G7, ISO 9001:2015. SI services support our slope, foundation, retaining-wall, and ground-improvement design-build packages.

100+
SI programmes
JKR
Submission native
13 states
Coverage
G7
CIDB highest
Engineer's note SI scope decides downstream design conservatism. Adequate boreholes + lab tests + groundwater monitoring for permanent slopes. Send the project category + size for SI scope advisory. WhatsApp the engineering team →
01 / What is geotechnical investigation

The fact-base for any slope, foundation, or retaining design.

Geotechnical investigation (commonly abbreviated "SI" - site investigation, or "GI" - ground investigation) is the data-gathering phase that precedes any geotechnical design. Without it, every assumption about soil strength, groundwater, and ground variability is a guess. With it, your consulting engineer designs to actual ground conditions - and your contractor builds the right thing first time.

A typical Malaysian SI programme combines: borehole drilling (rotary core typical 30 m or to refusal), in-situ testing (Standard Penetration Test, vane shear, pressuremeter), lab classification (Atterberg limits, sieve, triaxial, consolidation), groundwater observation wells (standpipe or piezometer), and topographic survey. The deliverable is an SI report with logs, profiles, calculations, and recommendations, stamped by a registered Professional Engineer.

02 / SI scope we deliver

Borehole, lab, and field-test integrated programme.

Borehole drilling

Rotary core drilling typically to 30 m or refusal. NMLC / HMLC core barrels. Down-the-hole hammer for hard rock formations. Continuous core recovery, RQD logged on site, samples preserved per BS 5930.

In-situ testing

Standard Penetration Test (SPT) at 1.5 m intervals. Vane shear test in cohesive soils. Pressuremeter where consultant requests. Permeability tests (rising / falling head) in groundwater observation wells.

Lab classification

Atterberg limits (LL, PL, PI), particle-size distribution (sieve + hydrometer), moisture content, bulk density, triaxial (UU / CU / CD as required), oedometer consolidation. Lab accredited where consultant requires.

Groundwater observation

Standpipe wells installed for ground-water level monitoring. Piezometers (Casagrande or vibrating wire) where pore pressure data needed. Periodic readings logged for design pore-pressure assumptions.

03 / Why our SI matters for design-build

SI feeds straight into our design + construction.

Most SI contractors hand you a report and disappear. We deliver SI as the front end of our integrated design-build geotechnical contract - meaning the same engineering team that writes the SI report also designs your soil-nail layout, your retaining wall, your ground-improvement programme. Single accountability from the first borehole to handover. Less translation loss between SI findings and construction decisions.

This matters most on tight programmes (e.g., post-failure remediation, federal expressway slopes during construction, hillside developer cuts where the next phase is waiting). The "SI → design → install" loop tightens from months to weeks.

04 / SI deliverables - submission ready

JKR / Eurocode 7 / consultant-spec format native.

SI report contents

Executive summary, regional geology / geomorphology context, methodology, borehole logs (per BS 5930), lab test results, groundwater observations, soil profile interpretation, factor-of-safety calculations (where slope), recommendations.

Stamping

Stamped by registered Professional Engineer (P.Eng. with BEM / IEM). Suitable for JKR, LLM, federal, and any local-authority submission without further QA.

Format compliance

BS 5930 / BS EN 1997 (Eurocode 7) / JKR Standard Specifications. Digital deliverable in PDF + native CAD / borehole-software files where consultant requests.

Turnaround

Typical 4-6 weeks from kick-off to draft report on a 5-borehole programme. Fast-track 2-3 weeks possible for emergency / post-failure jobs (with overtime drilling crew and accelerated lab).

04 / SI methods we deliver

From boreholes to parameter selection.

Boreholes (rotary, cable percussion, washboring)

Standard SI method. Depth typically 1.5x slope height + 3-5 m into competent. Sampling per BS 5930 - SPT every 1.5 m, undisturbed Class 1 samples in cohesive zones, rotary core in rock. Borehole spacing per JKR / project (1 per 25 m typical, tighter for Class III/IV).

In-situ testing

SPT (Standard Penetration Test), CPT (Cone Penetration Test), vane shear (in-situ Su), pressuremeter (lateral pressure), permeability (falling head, constant head), in-situ density. Direct soil parameters without lab translation.

Geophysics

Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) for groundwater + bedrock profiling, microgravity for karst cavity detection, seismic refraction for rock interface, MASW for shear-wave velocity. Augments boreholes for spatial coverage.

Laboratory testing

BS 1377 / BS EN ISO 17892: Atterberg limits, particle size, triaxial CIU/CD, ring shear (residual), oedometer, permeability, point load (rock), uniaxial compressive (rock), Brazilian tensile, slake durability. MS ISO/IEC 17025 accredited lab.

Groundwater monitoring

Standpipe piezometers, vibrating wire piezometers (multi-level), 3-month minimum monitoring period (year-round preferred for Class III/IV). Captures wet vs dry season, identifies perched / confined aquifers.

Parameter selection

Translation of test results to design parameters (c-prime, phi-prime, Su, mv, k, Eu) per Eurocode 7-2. Sensitivity analysis on key parameters. Cross-reference with our database of similar Malaysian profiles.

05 / FAQ

SI questions.

How many boreholes for a typical project? +
Per BS 5930 / JKR: minimum 3 per area / per slope, 1 per 25-50 m grid for hillside development, 1 per 30-50 m grid for plot foundations. Critical features (steep slopes, suspect ground, karst zones) get tighter spacing. Class III/IV slopes typically 30 m or tighter.
How deep should boreholes go? +
For slopes: 1.5x slope height + 3-5 m into competent (rock or stiff residual). For foundations: through compressible / unsuitable material into bearing stratum + 5-10 m. For piles: through pile depth + 5-10 m. For tunnels: through tunnel zone + 1-2 tunnel diameters into stable rock above.
What in-situ tests are standard? +
SPT (Standard Penetration Test) every 1.5 m in soil + weathered rock - bread-and-butter test. CPT in soft soil / homogeneous strata - more granular data. Vane shear for in-situ Su in soft clay. Pressuremeter for lateral modulus. Permeability (falling head, constant head). Geophysics (ERT, microgravity, seismic) for spatial coverage.
What lab tests for slope design? +
Atterberg limits + particle size for classification. Triaxial CIU/CD for c-prime and phi-prime (drained shear strength). Ring shear for phi-residual (pre-existing slip surface). Oedometer for compressibility. Permeability (lab + in-situ). Direct shear on weak interfaces / bedding planes.
How long does SI take? +
Field work 1-3 weeks for typical hillside (8-15 boreholes), 4-8 weeks for large infrastructure (50+ boreholes). Lab testing 4-8 weeks. Reporting 2-4 weeks. Total typically 2-4 months from start to issued SI report. Groundwater monitoring extends to 3+ months for permanent slopes.
What does SI cost? +
Borehole RM 250-500 per m. Rock core RM 400-700 per m. Triaxial set RM 2000-3500. Ring shear RM 2500-4500. Inclinometer install RM 8000-15000 per BH. Vibrating wire piezometer RM 5000-12000. Microgravity / ERT survey RM 80,000-250,000+. Total SI for hillside development typically 0.3-0.7 percent of project value.

Need a geotechnical investigation programme?

Slope design, foundation design, retaining design, post-failure forensic - we deliver the SI that feeds straight into the right solution. Same-day brief acknowledgement.

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Regional coverage for Geotechnical Investigation

Geotechnical Investigation contractor service across Malaysia. Click your state for the regional combo page, or scroll the locality cards for dedicated city / town pages:

States:Klang Valley (KL, Selangor, Putrajaya) · Johor · Penang · Pahang · Sabah · Sarawak

Klang Valley localities:Klang Valley regional hub · PJ · Cheras · Kajang · Subang Jaya · Shah Alam · Mont Kiara · Damansara · Puchong · Klang · Cyberjaya · Putrajaya · Bukit Jalil · Bangsar · Setapak · Kepong · Ampang · Selayang · Semenyih · Hulu Selangor · Bandar Sunway · USJ

Johor: Iskandar Puteri · Pasir Gudang · JB · Senai · Skudai · Kulai · Batu Pahat · Muar · Kluang · Mersing

Penang: George Town · Bayan Lepas · Butterworth · Bukit Mertajam · Tanjung Bungah · Air Itam · Balik Pulau

Other states: Kuantan · Genting Highlands · Cameron Highlands · KK · Sandakan · Tawau · Kuching · Miri · Sibu · Bintulu · Ipoh · Seremban · Bandar Melaka · Alor Setar · Kota Bharu · Kuala Terengganu · Kangar