All man made structures are supported by some kind of soil. Compaction equipment or compactors, as the name suggests, apply energy to the loose soil or other materials to increase its density and load bearing capacity. The loose soil or particles are moved or rearranged in a particular manner close to each other to avoid any trapped air or voids.

Compaction benefits in several ways... To start with - it increases the load bearing capacity; it decreases water seepage, prevents soil settlement, reduces swelling, contraction of the soil and prevents frost damage.

Available in variety of types and sizes, compaction equipment or compactors are broadly divided into:

Jumping jack tampers - best suited for cohesive and mixed soils for limited area, a ramming shoe alternatively strikes and leaves the surface at high speed and compacts the soil. Rammers or tampers as they are called are used for wide range of construction activities. Diesel rammers provide heavy-duty compaction, and they are ideal for sites where heavy gas powered vehicles are restricted.

Rollers - available in single, dual drum models with smooth or padfoot drums, rollers are best suited for compacting granular soils and asphalt. They are operator driven heavy compactors used to compact materials to a pre-determined density. Mainly known as soil compactors, rollers are sub divided into various categories based on number of drums used, functions they carry and technology on which they work.

Plate compactors / soil compactors - used for small repair and maintenance work, Plate tampers use centrifugal force for compacting materials. They are ideal for compaction of granular soils, sands, gravel, crushed aggregate and mixed soils in enclosed areas. They are hand operated and come in two types - one-way plate and forward / reverse plate where forward / reverse operation is required. Reverse vibratory plates are ideal for backfilling along foundations and utility trenches.