Technical References for Soils

The National Soil Survey Handbook (NSSH) provides the standards, guidelines, definitions, policy, responsibilities, and procedures for conducting the NRCS portion of the National Cooperative Soil Survey program.

The Soil Survey Manual (USDA, Agriculture Handbook No. 18) provides the major principles and practices needed for making and using soil surveys and for assembling and using related data. 

The Technical Soil Services Handbook provides authority, responsibilities, definitions, guidance, and procedures for technical soil services within NRCS.

This Guide is designed for soil survey, vegetation, and ecological site or unit inventory work in order to help soil scientists and other inventory specialists collect interpretable data about soil change within the human tim...

This handbook provides standards, guidelines, definitions, policies, responsibilities, and procedures for conducting the collaborative process of ecological site description (ESD) development.

The second edition of Soil Taxonomy, A Basic System of Soil Classification for Making and Interpreting Soil Surveys is the result of the collective experience and contributions of thousands of pedologists from around the worl...

Taxonomic keys for field classification.

Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) including the publication Land Resource Regions and Major Land Resource Areas of the United States, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Basin (USDA Agriculture Handbook 296, 2022).

Standards for observing and recording soil and site characteristics.

A Guide for Identifying and Delineating Hydric Soils, Version 8.2

Documents that guide the Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory including field guides, methods and manuals, soil sample submission, and requests for assistance.

This document provides a descriptive method and a technical guide for applying and understanding geomorphic and geologic concepts and terms for soil inventory.

Specific technical subjects for soil scientists.