A hydrocarbon-degrading bacterium, strain SB-1, was isolated from an oil-contaminated soil sample collected at the Shengli oil field in east China. The strain was a motile, gram-positive, spore-forming rod that had an optimal growth temperature and pH of 25ºC and 7.0, respectively. The strain was identified as Bacillus subtilis based on its 16S rDNA sequence. Laboratory analyses of biodegradation of crude oil demonstrated that strain SB-1 could degrade crude oil in soil. Specifically, SB-1 degraded 39.33% of crude oil, 57.01% of the saturated fractions, 25.63% of the resins and 12.15% of the aromatic fractions within 12 days. In addition, more than 50% of the alkanes were removed by the strain, with the highest degradation rate being 81.03% for C₃₆-C₄₀, and the lowest degradation rate being 51.47% for C₃₁-C₃₅. Overall, the results of this study indicated that Bacillus subtilis SB-1 had a good ability to degrade oil pollutants in soil.