The data set consists of a southern African subset of the "Global Soil Profile Data (ISRIC-WISE)" data set. Data files are provided in comma-delimited ASCII format. The International Soil Reference and Information Centre - World Inventory of Soil Emission Potentials (ISRIC-WISE) international soil profile data set consists of a homogenized, global set of 1,125 soil profiles for use by global modelers. These profiles provided the basis for the Global Pedon Database (GPDB) of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme - Data and Information System (IGBP-DIS). The data set consists of a selection of 665 profiles originating from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.A.), 250 profiles obtained from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO, Rome, Italy), and 210 profiles from the reference collection of the International Soil Reference and Information Centre (ISRIC, Wageningen, The Netherlands). All profiles are georeferenced and classified according to the 1974 Legend of the FAO-UNESCO Soil Map of the World (FAO-UNESCO 1974), as well as the 1988 Revised Legend of FAO-UNESCO (FAO 1990). The data set includes information on soil classification, site data, soil horizon data, source of data, and methods used for determining analytical data.