Soil Texture Calculator & Know Your Soil
Classifies loam
“This tool gets better every time someone says what confused them.
Find your USDA soil texture class from sand, silt and clay percentages — or straight from a jar test — and get the drainage, watering and management notes that come with it.
Your soil sample
Next: use the texture to set irrigation frequency (sandy soils little and often, clays slow and deep), pick the right lime rate, and judge how much organic matter to add. Match crops to the soil with our Best Crop for My Land tool.
Classification follows the USDA soil texture triangle. The jar test is an approximation — a lab particle-size analysis is definitive.
Soil texture — key facts
- Texture =
- sand + silt + clay mix
- Classes
- 12 (USDA triangle)
- Ideal
- loam (~40/40/20)
- Sand
- drains fast, low nutrients
- Clay
- holds water, drains slow
- Jar test
- sand → silt → clay layers
- Settle time
- 24–48 hours
- Privacy
- Runs in your browser; nothing uploaded
How texture is classified
The USDA soil texture triangle divides every possible mix of sand, silt and clay into 12 named classes. This tool applies the same boundary rules the triangle uses: it reads your three fractions — normalising them to total 100% — and walks the standard sequence of cut-offs to land on the right class, from sand and loamy sand through the loams to the heavy clays. Enter percentages directly, or switch to jar-test mode and give the settled layer heights and it converts them for you.
Knowing the class turns guesswork into decisions. It tells you how to water (little and often on sand, slow and deep on clay), how much lime a pH change will need (heavier soils buffer more), how readily the soil will compact or crust, and how much organic matter will help. Pair it with the Best Crop for My Land tool to match crops to the soil you actually have.
Identify your soil
Get the exact USDA class from percentages or a simple jar test you can do at home.
Set irrigation
Use texture to choose watering frequency and depth and avoid waterlogging or drought stress.
Plan amendments
Judge lime needs and how much organic matter will improve drainage or water holding.
Match crops
Pick crops suited to your soil with the Best Crop for My Land tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is soil texture?+
Soil texture is the proportion of sand, silt and clay particles in your soil. It governs how the soil drains, holds water and nutrients, warms up and works under a plough or spade — making it one of the most useful things to know about your land.
How do I find my soil texture?+
Either enter laboratory or estimated sand/silt/clay percentages, or do a jar (sedimentation) test: shake soil with water in a jar, let it settle 24–48 hours so sand sinks first, then silt, with clay on top, and measure each band. This tool turns either input into the USDA texture class.
How does the jar test work?+
Fill a straight-sided jar about a third with soil, top up with water and a pinch of dispersant (a little dish soap), shake hard and leave it. Sand settles within a minute, silt over a few hours, and clay over a day or two. The height of each layer relative to the total gives the percentages.
What is the soil texture triangle?+
The USDA texture triangle is a chart that maps any sand/silt/clay combination to one of 12 texture classes — from sand and loamy sand through the loams to the clays. This calculator applies the same boundary rules as the triangle to classify your soil automatically.
What is the best soil texture for growing?+
Loam — a balance of roughly 40% sand, 40% silt and 20% clay — is ideal for most crops because it drains freely yet holds enough water and nutrients and is easy to work. Sandy loams and silt loams are also very productive.
Why does texture matter for irrigation?+
Sandy soils hold little water and drain fast, so they need light, frequent watering; clay soils hold a lot and drain slowly, so they want slower, deeper, less frequent irrigation to avoid waterlogging. Knowing your texture sets the right schedule.
Can I change my soil texture?+
Texture itself (the mineral particle mix) is essentially fixed and very hard to change over a whole field. What you can improve is soil structure and behaviour — adding organic matter helps sandy soils hold water and helps clays drain and crumble.
What is the difference between texture and structure?+
Texture is the size mix of mineral particles (sand, silt, clay); structure is how those particles clump into aggregates and the pore spaces between them. You can't easily change texture, but you can build good structure with organic matter, reduced tillage and cover crops.
Do my percentages need to add up to 100?+
Ideally yes, but this tool normalises whatever you enter to 100% before classifying — so jar-test layer heights in centimetres or rough estimates that don't quite total 100 still give the correct class.
Is the jar test as accurate as a lab?+
It's a good practical guide and usually lands you in the right class or a neighbouring one, but a laboratory particle-size analysis is definitive — especially near class boundaries. Use the jar test for everyday decisions and a lab test when precision matters.
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