SHAPE turns lab measurements into regenerative ag scores that track your soil's progress. Soil Data Access puts the nation's soil database into every query. Web Soil Survey brings it to every farm. Together they form the most comprehensive soil data platform in the world — built on open data.
SHAPE is a standardized framework for measuring, scoring, and tracking regenerative agriculture's impact on your land. It translates Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory analyses and field measurements into straightforward 1–10 scores — comparable across fields, states, and management practices.
The Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory (KSSL) at the National Soil Survey Center in Lincoln, Nebraska has analyzed soil samples from tens of thousands of pedons across all 50 states since the 1950s. These characterization data — organic carbon, water retention, aggregate stability, and more — flow directly into Soil Data Access and underpin both SSURGO and SHAPE.
Every SHAPE assessment compares field measurements against regional benchmarks derived from these KSSL analyses. The same data that powers the national soil survey also powers the regenerative ag score on your operation.
Score My Soil Now ↓Benchmarks are generalized national targets. SHAPE uses regionally calibrated values. Score in the SHAPE App for location-specific results.
Enter your soil's organic carbon %, select its texture group, and this calculator queries actual KSSL lab-measured SOC values from the Soil Data Access database to show exactly where your soil falls in the real distribution — not a static model, but live national data.
Data: lab_layer + lab_chemical_properties + lab_physical_properties via SDA · Surface mineral horizon only (no-duff) · SOC via 4-method cascade ·
Annual trends, state-by-state breakdowns, seasonal patterns, and interactive metric explorer — all live data from the Soil Data Access API.
The National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS) characterization database contains lab analyses from the Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory in Lincoln, Nebraska and cooperating state universities. Each pedon includes links to primary lab reports, taxonomy, water retention, and soil profile descriptions — all queryable live via Soil Data Access.
Filter by series name, see pedon locations on a live map, and access lab reports, taxonomy, water retention curves, and soil profiles. Up to 500 pedons per state.
Not all soils are created equal — and SHAPE doesn't score them equally. A sandy soil and a clay-rich soil have different natural limits for organic matter. SHAPE compares your soil against others with the same texture and the same natural soil type for a fair, meaningful score. Two simple questions determine which benchmark applies: What does your soil feel like? And what kind of soil is it naturally?
Not sure of your soil texture? Check your field on Web Soil Survey ↗
Different soils form under different climates and vegetation over thousands of years — a prairie soil naturally holds more organic matter than a desert soil. SHAPE compares your soil only against others of the same natural type, so your score is always fair.
Not every KSSL pedon has all measurements. SHAPE uses a waterfall of SOC estimation methods, falling through to the next when the preferred method is unavailable:
SQL source: Top_Combined_Estimated_Organic_Carbon.sql ↗