Peat soil is encountered in many areas and generally originates from plant/animal remains and is
considered partly as decomposed biomass (Adnan and Wijeyesekera, 2007). Due to this composition, the
structure of this soil is very different when compared with inorganic soils like clay, sand and gravel. Peat
has a high compressibility, low shear strength, high moisture content and low bearing capacity (Bujang,
2004, Adnan et al., 2007). The behaviour and composition of peats in different geographical areas are
different from one another, accentuating the need in soil engineering for a useful geological classification
of peat soils. This paper focuses on presenting a comparative overview of the characteristic geotechnical
properties for these soils. It also examines and discusses the effects of composition on the basic properties
and behaviour of each soil, supported by case studies from Malaysia
