<p>Rammed earth is a layered construction technique, making it essential to examine both material and interlayer properties to understand the behaviour of rammed earth structures. In particular, understanding how the layers are able to resist shear is critical for the design of structures that are resilient to lateral loadings such as those due to earthquakes. This study evaluates the material and interlayer properties of rammed earth specimens using unconfined compression tests and shear wedge tests, complemented by Digital Image Correlation and numerical simulations. Unconfined compression strength tests revealed that mechanical properties such as compressive strength and Young’s modulus are significantly influenced by environmental conditions as expected. Compressive strength was found to decrease with higher relative humidity and lower temperature. Compression fracture energy of rammed earth was evaluated, a parameter which has not received attention in the past. The numerical simulation of the unconfined compression test using Concrete Damaged Plasticity model showed good agreement with the experimental results. The shear wedge tests with measurements undertaken using digital image correlation were used to determine interlayer properties such as cohesion and friction angle. Further, these tests helped in the evaluation of shear and normal stiffnesses not previously determined. The use of digital image correlation permitted location of failure planes in the rammed earth material as well as interlayers. It also provided variation of displacement and strain fields. To the best of the author’s knowledge, the shear wedge test was numerically simulated for the first time; demonstrating the suitability of the constitutive model, Surface Based Cohesive Behaviour, employed for rammed earth interlayer. These findings support the use of the shear wedge test as a practical method for determining the interlayer properties of equilibrated rammed earth.</p>