Soil organic carbon (SOC) storage under different types of vegetations in China were estimated using measured data of 2440 soil profiles to compare SOC density distribution between different estimates, to map the soil organic carbon stocks under different types of vegetation in China, and to analyze the relationships between soil organic carbon stocks and environmental variables using stepwise regression analyses. Soil organic carbon storage in China was estimated at 69.38 Gt (1015 g). There was a big difference in SOC densities for various vegetation types, with SOC distribution closely related to climatic patterns in general. Stepwise regression analyses of SOC against environmental variables showed that SOC generally increased with increasing precipitation and elevation, while it decreased with increasing temperature. Furthermore, the important factor controlling SOC accumulation for forests was elevation, while for temperate steppes mean annual temperature dominated. The more specific the vegetation Soil organic carbon (SOC) storage under different types of vegetations in China were estimated using measured data of 2440 soil profiles to compare SOC density distribution between different estimates, to map the soil organic carbon stocks under different types of vegetation in China, and to analyze the relationships between soil organic carbon stocks and environmental variables using stepwise regression analyzes. Soil organic carbon storage in China was estimated at 69.38 Gt (1015 g). There was a big difference in SOC densities for various vegetation types, with SOC distribution closely related to Stepwise regression analyzes of SOC against environmental variables showed that SOC generally increased with increasing precipitation and elevation, while it decreased with increasing temperature. while, the important factor controlling SOC accumulation for forests was elevation, while for temperate steppes mean annual temperature dominated. The more speci fic the vegetation