In this study, we give insight into questionable results that can be encountered in the conventional sequential extraction of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, and Zn) from soils. Objectives of this study were to determine the extraction variability of exchangeable (EXC)-metals as using six different EXC-extractants commonly accepted, and to investigate selectivity problems with carbonates bound (CAB)-metal fraction, a buffered acetate (1.0 M NaOAc; pH 5.0) extractable-metal fraction, leading to erratic results in especially non-calcareous soils. The contents of EXC-metals were markedly varied with the different extractability of various EXC-metal extractants used. The contents of EXC-Cd fraction were ranged from 2.0 to 74.3% of total Cd content in all of the metal spiked soils studied. The contents of EXC-Zn fraction extracted with the different EXC-extractants were varied with soil types, which were from 0.4 to 3.9% of total Zn in the calcareous soils, from 7.6 to 17.9% in the acidic soil, and from 13.6 to 56.8% in the peat soil. However, the contents of EXC-Cu fraction were relatively similar among the applications of different EXC-meal extractants, 0.2 to 2.1 % of total Cu, in all soils tested. Also, these varied amounts of EXC-metal fractions, especially Cd and Zn, seriously impacted the contents of subsequent metal fractions in the procedure. Furthermore, the CAB-Cd, -Cu, and -Zn fractions extracted by the buffered acetate solution were in critical problem. That is, the buffered acetate solution dissolved not only CAB-metals but also metals that bound or occupied to subsequent fractions, especially OXD-metal fraction, in both calcareous and non-calcareous soils. The erratic results of CAB-fraction also seriously impacted the amounts of subsequent metal fractions. Therefore, the conventional sequential extraction should be reconsidered theoretically and experimentally to quantify the target metal fractions or might be progressively discarded.