Pan layers are among the most common land-use limiting factors in the Suez Canal area. Much of the agricultural land degradation in this area is a result of the existence of hardpan layers. In the literature, various types of pans were distinguished including indurated or cemented pans, claypans, and fragipans. Pan layers are further classified into the natural pans and anthropogenic pans. Depending on the type of cementation, natural pan is subdivided into different types; claypans, fragipans, indurated layers, cemented by iron, silica, lime, gypsum or humus. Anthropogenic pans are graded into tillage pan, surface crust and finally the pasture pan produced as a result of grazing animals packing action. Not all of the key pan layer classifications are ideal for mitigating their land-use hazards since little information is available. So, to address their hazards in agricultural production, intensive characteristics, geographic distribution, and classification of these hardpan layers are required.