Soil series profile

Duffield soil series

Duffield is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 254,802 acres in 29 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group B.

#1372 by mapped area fine-loamy Ultic Hapludalfs (Alfisols)

Drainage class: Well drained
Hydrologic group: B
Typical topsoil pH: 6.7
Mapped area: 255k

Typical Duffield profile

Texture and pH by depth

Depth to scale. More strongly shaded layers hold more clay. Horizon names are the soil survey's (A = topsoil, B = subsoil, C = parent material).

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Typical Duffield horizons (representative values)
Depth	Texture	pH	Clay	Sand	Organic matter
0–10 in (Ap)	Silt loam	6.7	20%	21%	3%
10–14 in (Bt1)	Silty clay loam	6.2	34%	13%	0.25%
14–28 in (Bt2)	Silty clay loam	6.2	34%	13%	0.25%
28–41 in (Bt3)	Silty clay loam	6.2	34%	13%	0.25%
41–53 in (Bt4)	Silty clay loam	6.2	34%	13%	0.25%
53–58 in (C)	Very channery silt loam	5.8	19%	25%	0.25%

Representative values from the most extensive Duffield map unit (Duffield silt loam, 3 to 8 percent slopes, survey area PA071). Other map units of this series vary within the series range.

Stock photo for illustration, not a sample of this soil series. Credit on the Sources & method page.

What this means

What Duffield soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Duffield soils is neutral: pH 6.7, the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.

Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Duffield acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (96% of mapped Duffield acres).

100% of mapped Duffield 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 3% of the acres in mapped Duffield soils very limited, 98% 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.

Generated from the mapped numbers above using fixed rules, not a site visit. See how these notes are written.

Where Duffield soil is found

Mapped acres

Duffield is mapped in Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and New Jersey.

Counties with the most mapped Duffield soil
County	Acres	Share of county land
Lancaster County, PA	66,730	11.0%
Berks County, PA	49,470	9.0%
Washington County, MD	26,629	9.1%
Cumberland County, PA	19,352	5.6%
Lebanon County, PA	19,277	8.4%
Lehigh County, PA	13,635	6.2%
Franklin County, PA	11,086	2.3%
Frederick County, MD	9,046	2.1%
Northampton County, PA	7,385	3.1%
York County, PA	5,600	1.0%
Montgomery County, VA	5,140	2.5%
Bucks County, PA	3,872	1.0%
Berkeley County, WV	3,680	2.1%
Montgomery County, PA	2,964	1.0%
Hunterdon County, NJ	2,599	0.9%
Jefferson County, WV	2,000	1.9%
Dauphin County, PA	1,643	0.5%
Perry County, PA	1,528	0.4%
Pocahontas County, WV	1,245	0.3%
Clarke County, VA	896	1.0%
Chester County, PA	635	0.1%
Somerset County, NJ	281	0.1%
Morris County, NJ	58	0.0%
Mercer County, NJ	27	0.0%
Adams County, PA	8	0.0%
Middlesex County, NJ	8	0.0%
Baltimore County, MD	3	0.0%
Philadelphia County, PA	3	0.0%
Carroll County, MD	1	0.0%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Duffield acres

Not limited 0%

Somewhat limited 98%

Very limited 3%

Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Duffield acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Duffield acres.
Category	Share of acres
Not limited	0.0%
Somewhat limited	97.5%
Very limited	2.5%

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Duffield acres

Depth to seasonal high water table: About 5.4 feet (65 in) (median where reported).
Flooding: Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
Slope: Typically 2–12% (median 6%).
Topsoil organic matter: Median 3%.

Drainage class

Excessively drained 0%

Somewhat excessively drained 0%

Well drained 100%

Moderately well drained 0%

Somewhat poorly drained 0%

Poorly drained 0%

Very poorly drained 0%

Drainage class across mapped Duffield acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Drainage class across mapped Duffield acres.
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

A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) 0%

B: moderate infiltration 100%

C: slow infiltration 0%

D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) 0%

A/D: D as is, A if drained 0%

B/D: D as is, B if drained 0%

C/D: D as is, C if drained 0%

Hydrologic soil group across mapped Duffield acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Hydrologic soil group across mapped Duffield acres.
Category	Share of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)	0.0%
B: moderate infiltration	100.0%
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 Duffield (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 254,802 acres.
Method: Shares are by mapped acres of Duffield components. The profile comes from the single largest Duffield component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

Full narrative description: USDA Official Soil Series Description for Duffield.