Soil series profile

Nanford soil series

Nanford is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 199,953 acres in 24 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group B.

#1820 by mapped area fine Typic Kanhapludults (Ultisols)

Drainage class: Well drained
Hydrologic group: B
Typical topsoil pH: 5.5
Mapped area: 200k

Typical Nanford 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 Nanford horizons (representative values)
Depth	Texture	pH	Clay	Sand	Organic matter
0–5 in (A)	Silt loam	5.5	19%	27%	2%
5–11 in (E)	Silt loam	5.5	19%	27%	0.25%
11–41 in (Bt)	Silty clay	5.0	43%	8%	0.25%
41–80 in (R)	Bedrock	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported

Representative values from the most extensive Nanford map unit (Nanford silt loam, 10 to 30 percent slopes, survey area SC079). 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 Nanford soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Nanford soils is strongly acidic: pH 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 100% of mapped Nanford acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (85% of mapped Nanford acres).

100% of mapped Nanford 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 46% of the acres in mapped Nanford soils very limited, 54% 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 Nanford soil is found

Mapped acres

Nanford is mapped in South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.

Counties with the most mapped Nanford soil
County	Acres	Share of county land
Richland County, SC	43,506	9.2%
Moore County, NC	41,880	10.4%
Chatham County, NC	33,498	9.1%
Lexington County, SC	14,418	3.3%
Kershaw County, SC	14,333	3.0%
Saluda County, SC	12,283	4.4%
Lancaster County, SC	7,349	2.1%
Halifax County, VA	7,119	1.5%
Edgefield County, SC	4,784	1.5%
Wake County, NC	4,078	0.8%
Lee County, NC	4,039	2.8%
McCormick County, SC	2,832	1.3%
Anson County, NC	2,573	0.8%
Orange County, NC	2,517	1.0%
Granville County, NC	1,100	0.3%
Person County, NC	973	0.4%
Durham County, NC	642	0.4%
Halifax County, NC	573	0.1%
Greenwood County, SC	517	0.2%
Montgomery County, NC	416	0.1%
Alamance County, NC	325	0.1%
Franklin County, NC	147	0.0%
Vance County, NC	29	0.0%
Rowan County, NC	21	0.0%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Nanford acres

Not limited 0%

Somewhat limited 54%

Very limited 46%

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

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Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Nanford acres.
Category	Share of acres
Not limited	0.0%
Somewhat limited	53.8%
Very limited	46.2%

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Nanford 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 4–20% (median 11%).
Topsoil organic matter: Median 2%.

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 Nanford acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Drainage class across mapped Nanford 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 77%

C: slow infiltration 23%

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 Nanford acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Hydrologic soil group across mapped Nanford acres.
Category	Share of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)	0.0%
B: moderate infiltration	76.6%
C: slow infiltration	23.4%
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 Nanford (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 199,953 acres.
Method: Shares are by mapped acres of Nanford components. The profile comes from the single largest Nanford component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

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