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Strength properties of compacted ash layers depend to a great extent on the moulding conditions. This paper focuses on the effects of compaction energy and degree of saturation on strength characteristics of compacted pond ash. The pond ash sample, collected from the ash pond of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP), was subjected to compactive energies varying from 357 kJ/m3to 3488 kJ/m3. The optimum moisture content and maximum dry densities corresponding to different compactive energies were determined by conventional compaction tests. The shear strength parameters, unconfined compressive strengths (UCS) and California bearing ratio (CBR) values of specimens compacted to different dry densities and moisture content were assessed and reported. The effects of compaction energy and degree of saturation on shear strength parameters i.e. unit cohesion (cu) and angle of internal friction (Ф) values and also the UCS values are evaluated and presented herein. The results indicate that the dry density and strength of the compacted pond ash can be suitably modified by controlling the compactive energy and moulding moisture content. The strength achieved in the present study is comparable to the good quality, similar graded conventional earth materials. Hence, it may be safely concluded that pond ash can replace the natural earth materials in geotechnical constructions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]