The taxonomic position of strain SD29(T), isolated from soil, was clarified using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. The organism produced an elementary branching mycelium which fragmented into rod/coccus-shaped elements and it possessed meso-diaminopimelic acid, arabinose, galactose as diagnostic diamino acid and sugars, MK-9(H(2)) as predominant menaquinone, phospholipids of type PII and mycolic acid. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain SD29(T) was most closely related to Gordonia hydrophobica DSM 44015(T) and Gordonia sihwensis DSM 44576(T), forming a distinct but loosely related branch in the phylogenetic tree. A number of physiological properties readily separated the isolate from its nearest neighbours. It is evident from genotypic and phenotypic data that strain SD29(T) represents a novel species of the genus Gordonia, for which the name Gordonia shandongensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SD29(T) (=CGMCC 4.3492(T)=JCM 13907(T)).