Specific surface area

Specific surface area (SSA) is a property of solids defined as the total surface area (SA) of a material per unit mass,^[1] (with units of m²/kg or m²/g). Alternatively, it may be defined as SA per solid or bulk volume^[2][3] (units of m²/m³ or m⁻¹).

It is a physical value that can be used to determine the type and properties of a material (e.g. soil or snow). It has a particular importance for adsorption, heterogeneous catalysis, and reactions on surfaces.