In order to reveal the relationship between the litter water-holding capacity of the main afforestation species and the soil physical properties under the forest in sandstone area,the water holding capacity of the litter layer under 6 forest types and the physical properties of the soil layer and the water holding capacity of the 0—50 cm soil layer in Jungar Banner sandstone area were investigated. The results showed: (1) The thickness of litter layer under 6 forest types in the sandstone area varied from 0.73 to 2.77 cm and the total volume varied from 1.47 to 7.93 t/hm². The total litter volume of different tree species was consistent with thickness in the order of Pinus tabulaeformis > Platycladus orientalis > Hippophae rhamnoides > Caragana korshinskii > Prunus sibirica > Abandoned land. It was found that the thickness of semi-decomposed layer of litter and its accumulation were significantly less than those of undecomposed layers by comparing the two layers of 6 types of forest stand litter. (2) The order of the maximum water holding ratio was Abandoned land < C. korshinskii < H. rhamnoides < P. sibirica < P. orientalis < P. tabulaeformis,among which the maximum water holding capacity of litter under P. tabulaeformis reached 267.32%,and the maximum water holding capacity in abandoned land was the smallest,and the minimum was about 149.48%. The maximum water holding capacity of the 6 forest stands was in the same order as the effective litter storage quantity,which was P. tabulaeformis > P. orientalis > P. sibirica > H. rhamnoides > C. korshinskii > Abandoned land. The effective interception volume of the undecomposed litter was greater than the semi-decomposition layer. (3) It was found that the water holding capacity,water absorption rate,and soaking time of the undecomposed layer and semi-decomposition layer displayed the logarithmic relationship of Q=kln t+b and the V=ktⁿ. (4) The soil bulk density of the 6 forest types showed little change. The total porosity changed in the order of P. tabulaeformis forest > H. rhamnoides forest > P. orientalis > C. korshinskii > Abandoned land > P. sibirica. The non-mathematical porosity was in the order of H. rhamnoides > P. orientalis > P. tabulaeformis > P. sibirica > abandoned land > C. korshinskii. The maximum water holding capacity was 17.43 mm in P. tabulaeformis forest. The minimum water holding capacity was 8.89 mm in P. sibirica forest. The order of the water holding capacity of the non-capillary followed the order of non-mathematical porosity of 6 forest stands.