Typical Properties of Granular Activated Carbon
| Bituminous | Sub-bituminous | Lignite | Nut Shell | |
| Iodine Number | 1,000-1,100 | 800-900 | 600 | 1,000 |
| Molasses Number | 235 | 230 | 300 | 0 |
| Abrasion Number | 80-90 | 75 | 60 | 97 |
| Bulk Density as packed LB/CF | 26-28 | 25-26 | 23 | 29-30 |
| Volume Activity | 26,000 | 25,000 | 13,800 | 0 |
Iodine and molasses numbers measure pore size distribution. Iodine number is a relative measure of pores at sizes of 10 to 2 Angstroms. It is reported in milligrams of elemental iodine adsorbed per gram of GAC and determines the area available on the GAC to adsorb low molecular weight organics.
Molasses number measures the degree a GAC removes color from a stock solution. It measures pores greater than 28 Angstroms. These are the pores responsible for removing larger molecular weight organics such as tannins.
Abrasion numbers represent the relative degree of particle size reduction after tumbling with a harder material. No reduction is rated 100, complete pulverization is zero.