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WRB 2022 soil key

Step-by-step key to the WRB 2022 Reference Soil Groups in English, Farsi and Kiswahili, answering yes/no questions or entering profile data. No AI.

← All soil classification keys

No AI. No machine learning.

The keys follow the published classification criteria step by step, the way you would key out a soil in the field. The same profile always gives the same answer, and you can see exactly which criterion led there, in every language the key is offered in.

Language and criteria grow together. We add languages as we refine the criteria, working with soil scientists who speak them, because the language matters as much as the logic: a key is only useful if people can read it in their own words. Want to help translate or review a key? →

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Beta learning aid. It does not replace the WRB text or a qualified soil scientist.
Source: IUSS Working Group WRB (2022). World Reference Base for Soil Resources. International soil classification system for naming soils and creating legends for soil maps, 4th edition. International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS), Vienna, Austria. wrb.isric.org
Classifying from data in R: Rodrigues, H. (2026). soilKey: Automated soil profile classification per WRB 2022, SiBCS 5, and USDA Soil Taxonomy 13. R package version 0.9.259. doi:10.5281/zenodo.19930112 · GitHub
How to cite this key: Flynn, T., Rasaei, Z. (2026). WRB 2022 soil key (English, Farsi and Kiswahili editions), version 1.0 [software]. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23739387. Please also cite the WRB source above. All citations →