Adsorption of a small amount of P by soil from a solution, which delivers concentrations approximating the composition of soil solution systems, was measured for a heterogeneous group of 343 soils using32P‐labelled KH2PO4solution. The method allowed accurate determination of small quantities of P and identified the P under consideration as that added from solution. Simple correlations and stepvise linear regression analyses indicated that soil pH, Ca, P, Al, Fe, organic matter and particle size significantly influenced the amount of P adsorbed by the soils.