What is Tabler soil and how does it affect Oklahoma foundations?

Reviewed by Preston, Oklahoma foundation repair consultant · Updated 2026-10-14

In short: Tabler is a very deep clay soil found on old, nearly level terraces in north-central Oklahoma. Its subsoil is 35 to 50 percent clay, drains very slowly and is full of slickensides, the polished surfaces left by repeated swelling and shrinking. Those features point to clay that moves with the seasons, so even soil moisture around a foundation is a key factor on Tabler lots.

Where does Tabler soil occur?

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) maintains an Official Series Description (OSD) for each named soil. The Tabler OSD places it in the Central Rolling Red Prairies (Major Land Resource Area 80A) of north-central Oklahoma and south-central Kansas, with moderate extent ¹. Its type location is in Grant County, about 4 miles east and 1.5 miles south of Medford ¹.

Tabler forms on broad, nearly level summits of paleoterraces, which are old river terraces left high above today's streams, on slopes of 0 to 1 percent ¹. It developed in calcareous loamy or clayey alluvium ¹, tying it to the Quaternary alluvium and terraces of the North-Central region. Most Tabler land grows small grains and sorghum ¹.

What are Tabler soil's key properties?

The jump from a silt loam surface to a clay subsoil is typical of a claypan profile. "Udertic" in the classification ¹ marks some vertic traits without a full Vertisol; Tabler has slickensides ¹, the polished surfaces that Vertisols form through shrinking and swelling ⁴.

Similar soils listed in the OSD include Bethany, Kirkland and Renfrow; Pond Creek and Norge are associated soils with less clay ¹.

What does Tabler soil mean for foundations?

Clay that moves

Vertisols and vertic soils shrink and crack in dry periods and swell when rewetted, and that behavior creates serious engineering problems ⁴. Tabler's slickensides, which cover up to 80 percent of some subsoil layers, are a physical record of that movement ¹. NRCS rates shrink-swell by linear extensibility: 6 to 9 percent is high and 9 or more very high, and anything above 3 percent can damage buildings and commonly needs special design ³. The rated value for each map unit is in Web Soil Survey ².

Uneven drying and wetting is what moves foundations. Common patterns on soils like Tabler include perimeter drying settlement, perimeter wetting heave and center heave ⁵⁶.

Slow drainage on flat ground

Tabler's very slow permeability and nearly level setting mean water from roofs, sprinklers or leaks does not move away quickly ¹. Lawn and garden watering creates a moist zone along the outside of a foundation, and leaking pipes add water unevenly ⁶. The ASCE homeowner guide recommends at least 3 inches of fall over the first 5 feet from the house and sprinkler heads at least 5 feet from the foundation ⁵.

Trees

Tree roots can dry clay soil and cause uneven settlement, and the ASCE guide suggests planting trees farther from the house than their mature height ⁵. See trees and roots.

Related

• Shrink-swell and the active zone
• Renfrow soil
• Kirkland soil
• Tree-root desiccation settlement
• Soil Series Index