Abstract: Based on the needs of unified management of natural resources, the Ministry of Natural Resources of China has put forward the concept of "ground substrate" and has organized a pilot survey of surface substrate in typical areas. At present, the three−level classification system of ground substrate has not yet formed a unified understanding and standard, which seriously restricts the work of ground substrate data investigation, field mapping and application of results. In view of this, this paper clarifies the theoretical significance and application value of ground substrate by analyzing the connotation of ground substrate, comprehensively considers the data utilization needs of national urban space, ecological space and agricultural spatial planning, and establishes a spatial hierarchy model of ground substrate based on survey−classification−application, which can realize the organic combination with four types of ground substrate data: rock substrate, gravel substrate, soil substrate and mud substrate, and then proposes a three−level classification system scheme. Based on the secondary type of the Ground Substrate Classification Scheme, this scheme is fully connected with the existing classification system, and based on the existing research basis and current technical standards, it abides by the convention of natural science terminology in naming, and forms a scientific, unified, operational, applicable and normative three−level system through scientific numbering, which has the feasibility of application and can provide reference for the theoretical research and investigation and application of ground substrate.