Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) forest is one of the important terrestrial forest ecosystems with a high potential for carbon fixation. However, the estimation of carbon storage in Moso bamboo stands has shown great variation in methods and results. A detailed field survey of 27 plots (10 m x 10 m) was conducted to investigate carbon storage of pure Moso bamboo stands in Jian-ou city, a typical bamboo site in Fujian province of China. Bamboo biomass was estimated using an allometric equation based on diameter at breast height (DBH) and age, which was validated with measured data in situ. Aboveground litter and soil (0 – 60 cm) samples were collected and measured on the basis of area. Results showed the biomass carbon of Moso bamboo was approximately 14.0 kg culm(-1) of which the bamboo culm accounted for 60 %. Total biomass carbon storage was calculated as 54.6 Mg ha(-1) on average in the study site. Soil carbon storage was approximately 90.6 Mg ha(-1) within the soil layer from 0 to 60 cm. The carbon storage of Moso bamboo stands in Jian-ou was estimated to be 145.3 Mg ha(-1) in total. According to the age distribution of stands, the annually yielded carbon removed by harvest was estimated to be 3.97 Mg ha(-1) yr(-1) accounting for 7.3 % of the total bamboo biomass carbon. Based on the bamboo area, the total carbon storage in bamboo stands in Jian-ou city was estimated to be 12.49 Tg C and extrapolated to China 842 Tg C. Carbon storage in Moso bamboo stands was not high compared to other forests, but the high yielded carbon removed by harvest annually implies a, great growth rate and relatively high potential for carbon fixation. The contribution of Moso bamboo stands to carbon stabilization merits further study and should be recognized.