AbstractRelationships between soil lightness, soil organic matter (SOM) composition, content of organic C, CaCO3, and texture were studied using 42 top‐soil horizons from different soil types located in southern Germany. SOM composition was determined by CPMAS 13C NMR spectroscopy, soil color was measured by diffuse‐reflectance spectrophotometry and given in the CIE L*a*b* color coordination system (Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage, 1978). Multiple‐regression analysis showed, that soil lightness of top‐soil horizons is principally determined by OC concentration, but CaCO3 and soil texture are also major variables. Soil lightness decreased with increasing OC content. Carbonate content had an important effect on soil lightness even at low concentrations due to its lightening property. Regressions between soil lightness and organic C content were strongly linear, when the soils were differentiated according to texture and CaCO3 content. The aryl‐C content was the only SOM component which correlated significantly with soil lightness (rS = –0.87). In the linear regressions carried out on the different soil groups, soil aryl‐C content was a more significant predictor for soil lightness than total OC content.