Soil data by lat/lon · ships on RapidAPI
The soil profile for any coordinate.
Send a latitude and longitude, get the USDA SSURGO soil map unit at that point — components and depth-resolved horizon properties — back as one clean JSON object. Public-domain data, agent-first DX.
Why Loam
Soil by lat/lon
One GET with a coordinate returns the SSURGO map unit, its components, and every soil horizon at that point.
Clean, aggregated JSON
Raw Soil Data Access SQL becomes typed, depth-resolved properties — with USDA texture classes derived and 0–30 cm roll-ups computed for you.
Public-domain data
USDA-NRCS SSURGO is a U.S. Government work — commercial use and redistribution are allowed. Ship it inside your product.
Agent-first DX
OpenAPI 3.1, a machine-readable manifest, llms.txt, structured errors, and an MCP server out of the box.
See it
Quick start
curl "https://loam-soil-data-api4.p.rapidapi.com/v1/soil?lat=42.03&lon=-93.65" \
-H "X-RapidAPI-Key: YOUR_RAPIDAPI_KEY" \
-H "X-RapidAPI-Host: loam-soil-data-api4.p.rapidapi.com"{
"mapunit": { "name": "Nicollet loam, 1 to 3 percent slopes",
"farmland_class": "All areas are prime farmland" },
"dominant_component": {
"name": "Nicollet", "percent": 85,
"drainage_class": "Somewhat poorly drained", "hydrologic_group": "B/D",
"horizons": [ { "top_cm": 0, "bot_cm": 20, "texture": "loam",
"ph": 6.2, "organic_matter_pct": 6,
"available_water_capacity": 0.21 } ]
},
"summary": { "surface_texture": "loam", "avg_ph": 6.2, "depth_window_cm": [0, 30] }
}The full response lists every component with its percent and each soil horizon top-down, plus depth-weighted roll-ups. Calls go through the RapidAPI gateway.
Endpoints
| Method | Path | Description |
|---|---|---|
| GET | /v1/soil?lat=&lon= | Soil profile (map unit, components, horizons) at a point. |
| GET | /v1/manifest | Machine-readable capability manifest (for AI agents). |
| GET | /openapi.yaml | OpenAPI 3.1 spec. |
| GET | /health | Liveness check. |
Plans
| Plan | Price | Requests / month |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | Free | 2,500 |
| Pro | $12 / mo | 60,000 |
| Ultra | $59 / mo | 750,000 |
| Mega | $199 / mo | 7,000,000 |
Every plan includes the full soil profile, depth-resolved horizons, the aggregated summary, and the public-domain data license. Quotas and billing are managed by RapidAPI.
FAQ
How do I get soil data for a latitude and longitude?
Call GET /v1/soil?lat=42.03&lon=-93.65. Loam looks up the USDA SSURGO soil map unit covering that point and returns its components and depth-resolved horizon properties as a single JSON object.
What data source does Loam use?
The USDA-NRCS SSURGO database via Soil Data Access — the most detailed soil survey for the United States, collected over a century by the National Cooperative Soil Survey.
Can I use Loam in a commercial product?
Yes. SSURGO is a U.S. Government work in the public domain, so commercial use and redistribution-via-API are permitted. Every response includes a source and license block.
What soil properties are returned?
Per horizon: USDA texture class, sand/silt/clay, pH, organic matter, available water capacity, Ksat, CEC, bulk density. Per component: drainage class, hydrologic group, taxonomy, slope. Plus map-unit name, farmland class, and depth-weighted 0–30 cm roll-ups.
Is the soil value exact for my point?
SSURGO describes a soil map unit — an area that may hold one to three major components plus minors, each with a percentage. Loam reports the dominant component and lists them all; the true soil at a precise point can differ. Informational only.