Re: printed soil map color scheme

A color to be used with the eight land capability classes is listed in the Agriculture Handbook No. 61, A Manual on Conservation of Soil and Water, published in June 1954. These colors are still commonly used on maps showing land capability classes, though they are not now part of the standards. The colors listed are: Class 1 green (mediun); Class 2 yellow; Class 3 red; Class 4 blue; Class 5 dark green; Class 6 orange; Class 7 brown; Class 8 purple.

I am not aware of any other color standards for colors on printed soil maps. Agriculture Handbook Number 436, Soil Taxonomy, second edition, 1999 includes a colored soil order map. The colors used on that map are not considered a standard, but could be used on other soil order maps.