Basic Information about How to Use SW-846

• What is SW-846?
• Which Method Should I Use?

What is SW-846?

The Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste: Physical/Chemical Methods Compendium, also known as SW-846 or the Compendium, is EPA’s official collection of methods for use in complying with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations. SW-846 is organized into chapters providing guidance on how to use the methods and groups of methods, called “series”, which are organized by topic. The methods and chapters change over time as updates are published to keep up with evolving analytical and measurement needs.

In addition to the methods that are in the official SW-846 compendium, EPA has validated methods. These methods are tested and validated by laboratories and go through extensive review, but they have not been incorporated into SW-846 through the Federal Register process. EPA encourages using the validated methods, if possible, for the most current version of a method. 

For more information on how to use the SW-846 Compendium and related documents, please view our collection of frequent questions. 

Which Method Should I Use?

Chapter 2 of SW-846 provides general guidance on the important aspects of choosing an analytical method. This chapter also contains more detailed information on the appropriate methods for specific analytes.

Additionally, the interactive table below can be used to find methods by number, analyte, Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) number, analytical technique, or matrix. Type your search terms into the search box or sort the categories by alphabet. The table includes a listing of all SW-846 Test Method documents along with details on each method a link to the method's PDF document.

Please note that validated methods are not included in this table.