Remarkable differences on soil consistence between dry and moist soils were incorporated to the Brazilian soil classification system identifying this behavior as "coeso" which characterizes soils that have an accentuated increment of resistance when dry and become soft when moist. This behavior has been recognized for longer time in Australia and was incorporated to the Australian soil classification system using the term hardsetting. The objective of this paper was to demonstrate the similarities between hardsetting and "coeso" soils with the understanding that this connection may help the research on "coeso" soils of Brazil.
Low Coastal Plateau; soils atributes; hard horizons; soil strength; soil consistence