Nitrogen Content and Carbon-to-Nitrogen Ratios For Composting Waste Materials

Material

Nitrogen (% of Total Weight)

Ratio of Carbon to Nitrogen (C:N)

Activated sludge

5-6

6:1

Alfalfa

2.4-3

16-20:1

Blood

10 – 14

3:1

Bone meal

3.5:1

Bread

2.10

Buttercup

2.2

23:1

Cabbage

3.6

12:1

Carrot, whole

1.6

27:1

Clover, red

1.8

27:1

Cocksfoot

2.55

19:1

Cottonseed meal

5:1

Fern

1.15

43:1

Fish scrap

6.5 – 10

5.1:1

Garbage, green

3

18:1

Garbage, raw

2.15

25:1

Kentucky bluegrass

2.4

19:1

Material

Nitrogen (% of Total Weight)

Ratio of Carbon to Nitrogen (C:N)

Lawn clippings, young

4

12:1

Lettuce

3.7

Manure, farmyard (avg.)

2.15

14:1

Manure, chicken

3.2

7:1

Manure, cow

1.7

18:1

Manure, horse

2.3

25:1

Manure, human

5.5 – 6.5

6-10: 1

Manure, pig

3.75

Manure, poultry

6.3

15:1

Manure, sheep

3.75

Manure, steer

1.35

25.3:1

Meat scraps

5.1

Milorganite(TM)

5.4:1

Mustard

1.5

26:1

Newspaper

.05

812:1

Oat straw

1.05

48:1

Material

Nitrogen (% of Total Weight)

Ratio of Carbon to Nitrogen (C:N)

Onion

2.65

15:1

Peanut hull meal

11:1

Pepper

2.6

15:1

Pigweed (Amaranthus sp.)

3.6

11:1

Potato tops

1.5

25:1

Purslane

4.5

8:1

Ragwort

2.15

21:1

Sawdust, raw

. 11

511:1

Sawdust, rotted

.25

208:1

Seaweed

1.9

19:1

Sewage, fresh

11:1

Slaughterhouse wastes

7-10

2:1

Soybean meal

5:1

Timothy grass

.85

58:1

Tobacco

3

13:1

Tomato

3.3

12:1

Material

Nitrogen (% of Total Weight)

Ratio of Carbon to Nitrogen (C:N)

Turnip tops

2.3

19:1

Turnip, whole

1

44:1

Urine

15-18

.8:1

Vegetables, non-legume

2.54

11-19: 1

Wheat flour

1.7

Wheat straw

.3

128:1

Wood, white fir

.06

767:1

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