HomeSoil seriesPlainfield
Plainfield soil series
Plainfield soils cover 1,310,682 mapped acres, mostly in Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois. USDA rates shrink-swell a limit for houses without basements on 0% of that land, and a shallow water table a limit for basements on 2%.
It is the leading soil series by area in 11 of the counties and cities on this site, including Muskegon County, MI; Waushara County, WI; Adams County, WI.
SSURGO survey versions to August 5, 2026 · series description revised 2006-10
of its land: shrink-swell limits houses without basements
of its land: a shallow water table limits basements
median highest linear extensibility (6% and up is high)
median highest clay content in the top 150 cm
USDA's description
The Plainfield series consists of very deep, excessively drained soils formed in sandy drift on outwash plains, valley trains, glacial lake basins, stream terraces, and moraines and other upland areas. Permeability is rapid or very rapid. Slopes range from 0 to 70 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 30 inches near the type location. Mean annual temperature is about 49 degrees F. near the type location.
Source: USDA NRCS series description (OSD) for Plainfield, revised 2006-10. Read it.
Engineering properties
| Mapped area (SSURGO) | 1,310,682 acres |
| Shrink-swell limits houses without basements | 0.0% |
| Shallow water table limits basements | 1.9% |
| Very limited for septic absorption fields | 98.9% |
| Most common drainage class | Excessively drained |
| Most common hydrologic soil group | A |
| Taxonomic class | Mixed, mesic Typic Udipsamments |
| Type location | Waushara County, Wisconsin |
Where Plainfield is mapped
| State | Mapped acres |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 564,630 |
| Wisconsin | 519,449 |
| Illinois | 74,536 |
| Indiana | 63,432 |
| New York | 57,865 |
| Minnesota | 25,603 |
| Missouri | 3,049 |
| Ohio | 2,118 |
Places where Plainfield leads
Counties and cities where Plainfield covers more mapped land than any other series.
| Place | Share of mapped land |
|---|---|
| Muskegon County, MI | 35% |
| Waushara County, WI | 25% |
| Adams County, WI | 25% |
| Starke County, IN | 18% |
| Allegan County, MI | 16% |
| Manistee County, MI | 14% |
| Newaygo County, MI | 14% |
| Marquette County, WI | 12% |
| Mason County, IL | 11% |
| Ottawa County, MI | 11% |
| Eau Claire County, WI | 9% |
Other places where Plainfield is a main soil
Counties and cities where Plainfield is among the six soil series covering the most mapped land, but not the first. Share of the place's mapped land.
Counties
- Waupaca County, WI 10%
- Montcalm County, MI 9%
- Lake County, MI 8%
- Wood County, WI 7%
- Cass County, IL 6%
- Portage County, WI 6%
- Mecosta County, MI 5%
- Dunn County, WI 5%
- Kent County, MI 5%
- Columbia County, WI 4%
Texas and Ohio cities
- Zoar, OH 10%
- Port Washington, OH 6%
Sources
Shares and properties: USDA NRCS SSURGO via Soil Data Access, weighted by each component's share of its map units. Description: the USDA NRCS series description. How we count.