Ranges of AWC in Relation to Soil Texture and Organic Matter
Available Water Capacity - Enter the estimated range of available water capacity in
centimeters per centimeter, e.g., 0.10-0.15.
a. Use Available Water Capacities below.
b. Reduce available water capacity by rock fragment volume percent and salts using
"Guide for Estimating Reduction of AWC Because of Rock Fragments
and/or Salts".
Available Water Capacities in Centimeters per Centimeter of Soil ¹ ²
| Soil Texture Classes |
Greater than or equal to 3 percent OM |
0.5 to 3 percent OM |
Less than 0.5 percent OM |
| Coarse sand and gravel |
0.04-0.06 |
0.03-0.05 |
0.02-0.04 |
| Sands |
0.07-0.09 |
0.06-0.08 |
0.05-0.07 |
| Loamy sands |
0.10-0.12 |
0.09-0.11 |
0.08-0.10 |
| Sandy loams |
0.13-0.15 |
0.12-0.14 |
0.11-0.13 |
| Fine sandy loams |
0.16-0.18 |
0.15-0.17 |
0.14-0.16 |
| Loams and very fine sandy loams |
0.20-0.22 |
0.17-0.19 |
0.17-0.19 |
| Silt loams |
0.22-0.24 |
0.20-0.22 |
0.20-0.22 |
| Silty clay loams |
0.21-0.23 |
0.18-0.20 |
0.18-0.20 |
| Sandy clay loams |
0.18-0.20 |
0.16-0.18 |
0.15-0.17 |
| Clay loams |
0.17-0.19 |
0.15-0.19 |
0.14-0.16 |
| Silty clays |
0.12-0.14 |
0.11-0.13 |
0.10-0.12 |
| Clays |
0.11-0.13 |
0.09-0.11 |
0.08-0.10 |
| Sapric horizons |
0.35-0.45 |
|
|
| Hemic horizons |
0.45-0.55 |
|
|
| Fibric horizons |
0.55-0.65 |
|
|
¹ Use the column above most applicable for the OM in each layer.
² Rule of Thumb: Reduce available water capacity by 75 percent in fragipan
layers and below. Use same rule for dense tills.
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