Soil series profile
Cecil soil series
Cecil is a well drained soil with a sandy loam surface, mapped on 5,579,499 acres in 137 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 98% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.5 strongly acidic · range 5.2–5.5
- Mapped area
- 5.6M acres in 137 counties, 5 states
Typical Cecil profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–8 in (Ap) | Sandy loam | 5.5 | 13% | 68% | 0.75% |
| 8–42 in (Bt) | Sandy clay | 5.0 | 53% | 46% | 0.25% |
| 42–60 in (C) | Loam | 5.0 | 18% | 43% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Cecil soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Cecil soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.5 (most land between 5.2 and 5.5). 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.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 92% of mapped Cecil acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is sandy loam (51% of mapped Cecil acres).
100% of mapped Cecil acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
Most land is in hydrologic groups B and C, where rain soaks in at a moderate pace.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 10% of the acres in mapped Cecil soils very limited, 90% 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 Cecil soil is found
Mapped acres
Cecil is mapped in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Alabama. The 60 counties with the most Cecil acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Spartanburg County, SC | 329,073 | 64.0% |
| Anderson County, SC | 207,080 | 45.6% |
| Greenville County, SC | 165,580 | 32.8% |
| Laurens County, SC | 149,164 | 33.4% |
| Newberry County, SC | 137,254 | 39.8% |
| Troup County, GA | 130,848 | 49.7% |
| Mecklenburg County, NC | 123,181 | 38.7% |
| York County, SC | 116,642 | 26.8% |
| Oconee County, SC | 113,605 | 28.1% |
| Brunswick County, VA | 103,185 | 30.8% |
| Coweta County, GA | 95,321 | 34.2% |
| Jackson County, GA | 93,870 | 43.4% |
| Henry County, GA | 93,704 | 46.0% |
| Abbeville County, SC | 88,000 | 29.3% |
| Greene County, GA | 87,522 | 38.4% |
| Fayette County, GA | 83,142 | 65.7% |
| Meriwether County, GA | 81,330 | 25.6% |
| Lee County, AL | 77,563 | 22.7% |
| Oglethorpe County, GA | 77,151 | 28.7% |
| Harris County, GA | 74,358 | 25.7% |
| Spalding County, GA | 70,796 | 57.0% |
| Elbert County, GA | 68,130 | 30.5% |
| Rowan County, NC | 67,778 | 22.4% |
| Pickens County, SC | 66,753 | 21.4% |
| Warren County, NC | 66,277 | 26.0% |
| Greenwood County, SC | 65,194 | 24.4% |
| Putnam County, GA | 63,560 | 29.0% |
| Franklin County, GA | 62,525 | 37.5% |
| Morgan County, GA | 59,915 | 30.2% |
| Charlotte County, VA | 59,876 | 23.4% |
| Chambers County, AL | 59,465 | 17.5% |
| Lamar County, GA | 58,480 | 50.4% |
| Mecklenburg County, VA | 57,112 | 16.4% |
| Chester County, SC | 54,343 | 14.7% |
| Pike County, GA | 54,000 | 39.8% |
| Lincoln County, NC | 53,574 | 30.4% |
| Monroe County, GA | 52,276 | 23.8% |
| Gaston County, NC | 49,233 | 23.5% |
| Campbell County, VA | 49,231 | 16.3% |
| Lynchburg city, VA | 49,231 | 16.3% |
| Catawba County, NC | 46,720 | 19.7% |
| Prince Edward County, VA | 46,464 | 24.1% |
| Wilkes County, GA | 46,224 | 16.4% |
| Newton County, GA | 45,949 | 26.1% |
| Edgefield County, SC | 45,907 | 14.6% |
| Wake County, NC | 45,797 | 8.6% |
| Powhatan County, VA | 44,686 | 31.5% |
| Butts County, GA | 44,612 | 40.8% |
| Cherokee County, SC | 44,410 | 17.7% |
| Fairfield County, SC | 43,774 | 11.5% |
| Cleveland County, NC | 43,217 | 15.6% |
| Fulton County, GA | 43,013 | 13.0% |
| Lancaster County, SC | 42,304 | 12.0% |
| Guilford County, NC | 41,906 | 11.2% |
| Granville County, NC | 39,457 | 11.9% |
| Iredell County, NC | 37,697 | 10.7% |
| Barrow County, GA | 37,640 | 36.6% |
| Columbia County, GA | 37,615 | 20.5% |
| Clayton County, GA | 37,430 | 39.7% |
| Baldwin County, GA | 35,895 | 21.9% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Cecil acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 89.6% |
| Very limited | 10.4% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Cecil acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- None reported within about 6.5 feet (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 4–13% (median 8%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 0.8%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 100.0% |
| 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) | 1.3% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 98.4% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.1% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 0.1% |
| 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 Cecil (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 5,579,499 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Cecil components. The profile comes from the single largest Cecil component. Full methodology.