The Soil Mapping Guide is the authorized guide for soil mapping and soil data collection in Germany. Since the release of KA5 in 2005, requirements for the Soil Mapping Guide have changed significantly, among other things due to the Geological Data Law, the Mantle Regulation, and the revised Federal Soil and Contaminated Sites Protection Regulation. The rapid development of information technology and digital data processing also enables the use of user-friendly assessments of complex soil information. Existing relevant data lists have been expanded and adapted to current data needs. Additional information such as appearance, expression level, area percentage, and size have been included for the respective data fields and, where necessary, stricter definitions have been provided to improve completeness and quality of the collected data. Icons indicate mandatory data fields for various recording purposes, including state land surveys and soil monitoring during construction. The chapters related to soil mapping have been significantly expanded. The definition of horizontal symbols has changed to diagnostic criteria. The soil classification system has been modified from reporting entire series of horizons to names of diagnostic horizons to avoid overlaps and gaps between soil units, facilitating the categorization of a soil within the system. Further changes and additions include the introduction of new soil types, such as Andosols or soil types from phytosutural accumulations that have arisen from decades-long degradation processes, classified as subtypes of Abmoor hydromorphic soils. To facilitate the use of the substrate classification system, a more compact presentation has been chosen, along with individual simplifications. This aims to simplify the recording and classification of especially subsoil soils, particularly in residential, industrial, and commercial areas. A new feature is the description of humus horizons and the classification of humus forms in a separate system. At the request of many users, the contents of KA6 have been separated. For practical purposes, KA6 is published in two volumes: the first covers fundamental principles, important values, and methods, and the second is a field manual with updated closed lists for soil investigation, soil and substrate classification, the explanation of the overlying layer model, and the humus form classification system. For decades, the Soil Mapping Guide has also served as a key basis for soil information systems of the State Geological Surveys. Its purpose is to simplify soil data exchange between providers and users as well as between information systems, and to increase the availability and usefulness of these data. The tables for data evaluation, especially regarding the management of soil water resources, have been completely revised based on new data and supplemented with triangular diagrams for estimating parameters of water balance in the field. The new mapping guide was developed by the State Geological Surveys, the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), and working groups from scientific professional societies (German Society of Soil Science, Society for Wetland and Wetland Research).