The Soil Survey Manual provides in a single volume the major principles and practices needed for making and using soil surveys and for assembling and using data related to them. The Manual is intended primarily for use by soil scientists engaged in the classification and mapping of soils and in the interpretation of soil surveys. Although the Manual is oriented to the needs of those actively engaged in preparing soil surveys for publication, workers and students who have limited soils experience or are less familiar with the soil survey process also will be able to use the information. The Manual is the primary reference on principles and technical details. The increased use of soils for purposes other than farming has prompted new interpretations, more collaboration with professional people of other disciplines and more adaptation of soil surveys to the concepts of other disciplines. These and other changes of two decades of work have made major revision of the Manual essential. This edition retains the practice of defining terms and concepts within the context of the explanatory text. In addition, many soil scientists in all the countries tested the definitions, concepts and techniques before they were printed in this current edition.

Soil and Soil Survey - The first chapter defines the concepts of soils and the nature of soils as geographic bodies.

Soil Systematics - The second chapter describes the nature and uses of soil surveys, the kinds of soil surveys and the map units. The succeeding chapters describe procedures and conventions of soil surveys from the start to its publication.

Examination and Description of Soils - The third chapter deals with the attributes of bodies of soil that are mapped and the details of their internal properties.

Mapping Techniques - The fourth chapter tells how to prepare a mapping legend and the descriptive legend, which contains the technical instructions for mapping soils and related activities. This chapter also describes the supplies, equipments and mapping bases required for conducting a soil survey.

Information Recording and Management - The fifth chapter describes the ways in which data are recorded, stored and retrieved.

Interpretations - The sixth chapter discusses interpretations of soil surveys.

Disseminating Soil Survey Information - The seventh chapter describes the publication of the soil survey map, the accompanying text and other publications based on the findings of soil surveys.