The FAO framework for land evaluation, and the fertility capability classification system are applied to a catena of 13 different soil units of the upland and river terraces of central Sierra Leone. With this catena as an example, suggestions are made for detailed land evaluation according to methodology of the FAO framework. This includes the description of land utilization types and the assessment of the land qualities of rooting space, soil fertility, soil moisture availability, oxygen availability to roots, and risk of flooding. Available information will permit some assessments of land qualities at a detailed level. Rooting space is restricted in some soils by gravel contents. Fertility constraints are aluminium toxicity and low cation exchange capacity. Soil moisture availability may be assessed by calculating the length of the rainfed growing period, using precipitation and potential evapotranspiration data per 10-day periods in combination with soil moisture storage in the rooting zone. The latter may be estimated, when detailed moisture measurements are not available, from the relationship between texture and soil moisture contents at 15 bar and 1/3 bar. Oxygen availability is assessed by using the duration of waterlogging in the rooting zone. This can be estimated, when no groundwater table measurements are available, from gley colours (low chromas and yellow hues) in combination with the age of the landscape. Groundwater table measurements indicate that the same duration of waterlogging correlates with soil colours having progressively lower chromas and more yellow hues the older the landscape. A major obstacle to land evaluation in Sierra Leone is the lack of quantitative knowledge about the various requirements of the different crops obtained from site-specific research.