Soil series profile

Hinckley soil series

Hinckley is a excessively drained soil with a loamy sand surface, mapped on 621,253 acres in 60 counties across 8 states. Hydrologic group A.

#413 by mapped area sandy-skeletal Typic Udorthents (Entisols)

Drainage class: Excessively drained
Hydrologic group: A
Typical topsoil pH: 4.6
Mapped area: 621k

Typical Hinckley 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 Hinckley horizons (representative values)
Depth	Texture	pH	Clay	Sand	Organic matter
0–1 in (Oe)	Moderately decomposed plant material	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	95%
1–8 in (A)	Loamy sand	4.6	2%	81%	5.5%
8–11 in (Bw1)	Gravelly loamy sand	4.6	2%	81%	0.5%
11–16 in (Bw2)	Gravelly loamy sand	4.6	2%	81%	0.3%
16–19 in (BC)	Very gravelly loamy sand	5.1	1%	84%	0.1%
19–65 in (C)	Very gravelly sand	5.6	1%	95%	0.08%

Representative values from the most extensive Hinckley map unit (Hinckley loamy sand, 3 to 15 percent slopes, survey area CT602). 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 Hinckley soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Hinckley soils is very strongly acidic: pH 4.6 (most land between 4.6 and 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 83% of mapped Hinckley 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 loamy sand (76% of mapped Hinckley acres).

100% of mapped Hinckley acres is excessively or somewhat excessively drained: water moves through fast, so gardens need more frequent watering in dry spells.

For lawns and yards

99% 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 99% of the acres in mapped Hinckley soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (1% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).

Where the soil is very limited (slow permeability, a high water table, flooding, shallow bedrock or steep slopes), alternative systems such as mound or sand-filter designs are common and cost more.

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 Hinckley soil is found

Mapped acres

Hinckley is mapped in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, Vermont and New Jersey.

Counties with the most mapped Hinckley soil
County	Acres	Share of county land
Worcester County, MA	46,503	4.8%
Middlesex County, MA	35,135	6.7%
Bristol County, MA	35,089	9.7%
Warren County, NY	31,834	5.7%
Hampden County, MA	31,634	8.2%
Hillsborough County, NH	27,311	4.9%
Windham County, CT	27,276	8.3%
Cumberland County, ME	25,597	4.5%
Oswego County, NY	25,328	4.2%
Plymouth County, MA	23,811	5.7%
Hampshire County, MA	22,296	6.4%
New London County, CT	21,512	4.9%
Hartford County, CT	21,266	4.5%
Washington County, RI	16,448	7.6%
Essex County, MA	16,393	5.2%
Providence County, RI	15,092	5.6%
Strafford County, NH	15,086	6.3%
Rockingham County, NH	14,953	3.3%
Litchfield County, CT	14,121	2.4%
Kennebec County, ME	13,261	2.4%
Saratoga County, NY	13,099	2.5%
Barnstable County, MA	12,191	4.8%
Rutland County, VT	10,403	1.8%
Androscoggin County, ME	10,358	3.4%
Kent County, RI	10,278	8.8%
Franklin County, MA	9,704	2.2%
Norfolk County, MA	8,555	6.1%
Suffolk County, MA	8,555	6.1%
New Haven County, CT	8,418	2.1%
Fairfield County, CT	8,315	2.0%
Tolland County, CT	6,151	2.4%
Middlesex County, CT	4,968	2.1%
Berkshire County, MA	4,436	0.7%
Merrimack County, NH	4,214	0.7%
Windsor County, VT	3,726	0.6%
Herkimer County, NY	3,124	0.3%
Fulton County, NY	2,196	0.7%
Jefferson County, NY	1,945	0.2%
Sagadahoc County, ME	1,572	1.0%
Rockland County, NY	1,479	1.3%
Westchester County, NY	1,088	0.4%
Dukes County, MA	1,068	1.6%
Sussex County, NJ	770	0.2%
Cheshire County, NH	743	0.2%
Grafton County, NH	658	0.1%
Windham County, VT	556	0.1%
Sullivan County, NH	520	0.2%
Rensselaer County, NY	498	0.1%
Bristol County, RI	384	2.3%
Putnam County, NY	278	0.2%
Orange County, VT	219	0.0%
Bergen County, NJ	173	0.1%
Newport County, RI	164	0.2%
Passaic County, NJ	152	0.1%
Bennington County, VT	135	0.0%
Essex County, NJ	124	0.2%
Belknap County, NH	51	0.0%
Warren County, NJ	36	0.0%
Richmond County, NY	4	0.0%
Kings County, NY	1	0.0%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Hinckley acres

Not limited 0%

Somewhat limited 0%

Very limited 99%

Not rated 1%

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

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Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Hinckley acres.
Category	Share of acres
Not limited	0.0%
Somewhat limited	0.0%
Very limited	98.7%
Not rated	1.3%

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Hinckley 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 4–30% (median 12%).
Topsoil organic matter: Median 5.5%.

Drainage class

Excessively drained 100%

Somewhat excessively drained 0%

Well drained 0%

Moderately well drained 0%

Somewhat poorly drained 0%

Poorly drained 0%

Very poorly drained 0%

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

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Drainage class across mapped Hinckley acres.
Category	Share of acres
Excessively drained	100.0%
Somewhat excessively drained	0.0%
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

A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) 99%

B: moderate infiltration 0%

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%

Not rated 1%

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

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Hydrologic soil group across mapped Hinckley acres.
Category	Share of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)	98.7%
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%
Not rated	1.3%

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 Hinckley (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 621,253 acres.
Method: Shares are by mapped acres of Hinckley components. The profile comes from the single largest Hinckley component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

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