To evaluate muck sediments as a potential soil amendment, total and Mehlich III-extractable concentrations of Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Co in 59 muck sediment samples from the St. Lucie Estuary were analyzed. A seven-step chemical fractionation procedure was used to assess the potential mobility of heavy metals. Except for Cd, the average total concentrations of the metals are lower than the reported average concentrations of these elements in municipal composts in the U.S.A. The concentrations were also below critical levels for the safe use of wastes and byproducts in agriculture, as established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn and Co in the sediments were predominantly associated with silicate minerals in the residual form. Most metals in the muck sediments occur predominantly in weakly mobile or nonbioavailable forms. Use of mucks in neutral pH upland soils should not pose any significant hazards or risk to the environment. However, Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Co, especially Zn, Cu, and Pb, could be more readily released from the muck sediments under acidic soil conditions.