How to Calculate Soil Carbon

It is important to know how to calculate soil carbon so that you can estimate soil fertility. Soil carbon is also a large factor in determining the soil's water-holding capacity. To calculate soil carbon accurately, you will need a representative sample. If you have a soil sample that happens to have small pieces of organic matter and is different from the rest of the soil, your estimate will be off.

Soil sample
Scale
Acetone
Small container
Calculator

Instructions

- 1
  Record the weight of your small container and then and 1 g of soil from your soil sample. Write down the exact weight to as many decimal places as possible.
- 2
  Put on your protective gloves and add enough acetone to the container so that the soil is completely immersed.
- 3
  Place the container in a well-ventilated area where the acetone can evaporate, such as outside or next to an open window. Allow the sample to dry completely.
- 4
  Weigh the container with the completely dried soil sample. Subtract the final weight from the previous weight to estimate how much organic matter was in the soil. Most of the carbon in the soil is found in the organic matter. By dissolving the organic matter with acetone, you can calculate the soil carbon.
- 5
  Multiply the weight of organic matter lost from the 1 g sample and the total weight of the soil. The product of this equation will give you an estimate of the weight of carbon in your soil.

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