A rapid method is described for the determination of total cadmium (Cd) in soils. The soil samples and standard sediment samples were digested in a microwave oven using concentrated HNO3and also by the conventional HF‐HC1O4digestion in platinum crucibles. The Cd content in the extracts was determined using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectro‐photometry (GFAAS). Both digestion methods produced comparable quantitative values for total Cd of standard reference materials obtained from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and a series of surface and subsurface soil samples. Thus, the microwave digestion technique was shown to be an accurate and rapid method for digesting soil samples prior to total Cd analysis.