Activated carbon (AC), sawdust-derived carbon (SDC), and rice-husk-derived carbon (RHC) were comparatively characterized to assess major-oxide and trace-element differences relevant to preliminary water-treatment adsorbent screening. Sawdust and rice husk were washed, oven-dried at 80 °C for 12 h, and thermally treated at 550 °C for 30 min; the activated carbon was commercially obtained. X-ray fluorescence analysis was performed on pressed pellets using a Philips PW-1800 spectrometer, with duplicate analytical measurements for each material. SiO₂ was the dominant reported oxide, with concentrations of 68.42 wt.% in AC, 54.76 wt.% in SDC, and 73.18 wt.% in RHC. The oxide profiles indicated comparatively Si-Al-associated, Ca-Mg-Fe-associated, and Si-K-P-associated signatures for AC, SDC, and RHC, respectively. SDC recorded the highest concentrations of 10 of the 13 measured trace elements, whereas RHC recorded the highest Ba, Sr, and Rb concentrations. Reported SiO₂ relative standard deviations ranged from 1.6 to 2.4%, indicating low analytical dispersion in the duplicate measurements. The results demonstrate clear compositional differentiation among the three materials and support composition-based preliminary screening, but they do not establish adsorption performance, contaminant-removal efficiency, or trace-element leaching