Soil series profile
Candor soil series
Candor is a somewhat excessively drained soil with a sand surface, mapped on 286,290 acres in 22 counties across 2 states. Hydrologic group A.
- Drainage class
- Somewhat excessively drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- A 100% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 4.8 very strongly acidic · range 4.8–4.8
- Mapped area
- 286k acres in 22 counties, 2 states
Typical Candor profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–8 in (A) | Sand | 4.8 | 3% | 96% | 0.75% |
| 8–26 in (E) | Sand | 4.8 | 3% | 96% | 0.25% |
| 26–38 in (Bt) | Loamy sand | 4.6 | 9% | 82% | 0.25% |
| 38–62 in (E') | Sand | 4.6 | 3% | 96% | 0.25% |
| 62–80 in (B't) | Sandy clay loam | 4.6 | 23% | 60% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Candor soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Candor soils is very strongly acidic: pH 4.8. Most vegetables and lawn grasses do best around 6.0 to 7.0, so lime is often needed; blueberries, azaleas and rhododendrons like it as it is.
Sandy topsoil covers 100% of mapped Candor acres. It drains fast and warms early in spring, but dries out and loses nutrients quickly: mulch, compost and steady watering help. The most common surface texture is sand (100% of mapped Candor acres).
100% of mapped Candor acres is excessively or somewhat excessively drained: water moves through fast, so gardens need more frequent watering in dry spells.
For lawns and yards
100% of mapped acres is in hydrologic group A, where water soaks in fast. Lawns there dry out quickly; deeper, less frequent watering and organic matter help.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 0% of the acres in mapped Candor soils very limited, 100% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Candor soil is found
Mapped acres
Candor is mapped in North Carolina and South Carolina.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Moore County, NC | 69,220 | 17.1% |
| Chesterfield County, SC | 46,892 | 9.8% |
| Richmond County, NC | 42,311 | 15.2% |
| Hoke County, NC | 26,882 | 11.9% |
| Cumberland County, NC | 26,830 | 7.3% |
| Scotland County, NC | 15,071 | 8.1% |
| Harnett County, NC | 11,196 | 3.2% |
| Montgomery County, NC | 8,512 | 2.9% |
| Marlboro County, SC | 7,908 | 2.7% |
| Darlington County, SC | 6,117 | 1.8% |
| Kershaw County, SC | 5,655 | 1.2% |
| Aiken County, SC | 4,756 | 0.7% |
| Anson County, NC | 3,649 | 1.2% |
| Williamsburg County, SC | 3,579 | 0.6% |
| Lee County, NC | 3,556 | 2.4% |
| Lee County, SC | 2,014 | 0.8% |
| Lexington County, SC | 1,082 | 0.2% |
| Edgefield County, SC | 419 | 0.1% |
| Allendale County, SC | 222 | 0.1% |
| Barnwell County, SC | 190 | 0.1% |
| Sumter County, SC | 155 | 0.0% |
| Lancaster County, SC | 75 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Candor acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 100.0% |
| Very limited | 0.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Candor acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 5.9 feet (71 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 2–8% (median 4%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 0.8%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 100.0% |
| Well drained | 0.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 100.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.0% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 0.0% |
| A/D: D as is, A if drained | 0.0% |
| B/D: D as is, B if drained | 0.0% |
| C/D: D as is, C if drained | 0.0% |
Sources & data dates
- Source
- USDA NRCS Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO), queried through Soil Data Access. Public domain.
- Data date
- SSURGO as published on November 3, 2026 (most recent survey area update October 26, 2026). NRCS refreshes SSURGO each October.
- Scope
- All map unit components named Candor (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 286,290 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Candor components. The profile comes from the single largest Candor component. Full methodology.