Carbon to nitrogen ratio

The C/N ratio or Carbon to Nitrogen ratio can, amongst other things, be used in analysing sediments and compost. One importance is the influences the nitrogen availability in soils.

C/N ratios in the range 6-8 are usually from marine sources, whereas higher ratios are likely to come from a terrestrial source. (Dahlhem 1988).

An example of a device that can be used to measure this ratio is the CHN analyzer.