frost depth
Soil freezing extent
Frost depth is how far below the surface the ground freezes during winter.
Building codes specify minimum frost depths for foundations—footings must extend below this line to prevent heaving when soil freezes and expands.
Frost depth varies by climate: a few inches in mild regions, several feet in cold ones.
The frost depth here is 42 inches, so we'll need to dig deeper.
- freezingExtremely cold
- permafrostPerpetually frozen earth layer
- frozen groundSoil solidified by cold
- soilGround matter for planting
- soil conditionsEarth's physical characteristics
ground · ground temperature · winter · ice · cold · penetration · excavation · foundation · footing · buried · frozen · thaw · insulation · concrete · pipe · water main · water pipe · heave