阿特贝限，**称为阿太堡限度（Atterberg limits），是指土壤的各个结持度阶段间的分界点含水量。它亦称为结持限，是阿特贝值的一部分。阿特贝限广泛用于农业、工程、建筑、陶瓷、塑雕等部门，作为选择适宜土壤耕作、土质材料施工或泥塑造型等操作时的含水量（土水比）范围的依据。

20世纪初期，瑞典化学家阿尔贝特·阿特贝提出了土壤结持度及其指标——结持限的概念。随着含水量的变化，土壤呈现出不同的物理相态阶段——结持度。从湿到干，依次有粘滞、塑性、酥性、刚性等结持度，从于到湿则其呈现的次序反之。在每两种结持度阶段的转折处，均分别有一个显明的分界点含水量，即结持限。土壤的各结持度含水量范围和扦结持限含水量值，都是重要的土壤物理参数，统称为阿特贝值，或称阿特贝常数或土壤结持常数。其小，塑性结持度的三个阿特贝值——流限、塑限和塑性指数的应用最为普遍。土壤的—系列阿特贝值包括阿特贝限的大小，与土壤的比面大小和表面性质有关，因而决定质地、粘土矿物类型、交换性阳离子组成、有机质含量和组成等因素，也受土壤结构以及土壤液相组成的影响，在不同类型和不同质地的土壤中，其含水量位大小和分布范围变化甚大。

The Atterberg limits are a basic measure of the critical water contents of a fine-grained soil, such as its shrinkage limit, plastic limit, and liquid limit. As a dry, clayey soil takes on increasing amounts of water, it undergoes dramatic and distinct changes in behavior and consistency. Depending on the water content of the soil, it may appear in four states: solid, semi-solid, plastic and liquid. In each state, the consistency and behavior of a soil is different and consequently so are its engineering properties. Thus, the boundary between each state can be defined based on a change in the soil's behavior. The Atterberg limits can be used to distinguish between silt and clay, and it can distinguish between different types of silts and clays. These limits were created by Albert Atterberg, a Swedish agriculturist. They were later refined by Arthur Casagrande. These distinctions in soil are used in assessing the soils that are to have structures built on. Soils when wet retain water and some expand in volume. The amount of expansion is related to the ability of the soil to take in water and its structural make-up (the type of atoms present). These tests are mainly used on clayey or silty soils since these are the soils that expand and shrink due to moisture content. Clays and silts react with the water and thus change sizes and have varying shear strengths. Thus these tests are used widely in the preliminary stages of designing any structure to ensure that the soil will have the correct amount of shear strength and not too much change in volume as it expands and shrinks with different moisture contents.