Economic forestry has become a key strategy for vegetation restoration on abandoned cropland due to its ecological and economic benefits. However, despite its ongoing expansion, long-term differences in soil quality compared with natural restoration and temporal dynamic remain unclear. Using long-term cultivated cropland as a reference, this study compared soil physical properties between long-term restored (35 years) natural vegetation (forests and grasslands) and economic forestry (orchards), examined the temporal evolution of soil physical properties in orchards at different restoration stages (5, 15, 25, and 35 years), and evaluated soil physical quality (SPQI) for all restoration treatments using multiple physical functional indices. The results showed that long-term natural restoration markedly enhanced SPQI by over 42 % compared with cropland (p < 0.05). This improvement was driven by increases in soil aeration porosity (SAC) and mean weight diameter of aggregates (MWD), and a marked reduction in soil erodibility (K) (p < 0.05). These changes enhanced soil resistance to erosion and degradation (SPF3) as well as soil aeration and gas exchange functions (SPF4) (p < 0.05). In contrast, long-term orchard restoration resulted in SPQI values comparable to cropland. Although improvements in deep-soil saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) and available water content (AWC) enhanced the water-supply function (SPF2) by 41 %, persistently high bulk density (BD) and penetration resistance (PR) reduced the root-supporting function (SPF1) by 48 % (p < 0.05), offsetting the functional gains. Temporal analysis revealed that SPQI showed no significant change with orchard restoration duration. In the initial 5 years, reductions in BD and PR temporarily increased SPF1 by 38 % (p < 0.05), but other functions remained similar to cropland. From 15 to 35 years, soil compaction increased BD and PR, reducing SPF1 by at least 39 %, while improvements in Ks and MWD enhanced SPF2 and SPF3 by over 30 % and 84 %, respectively (p < 0.05). These functional trade-offs ultimately resulted in a stable SPQI over time. These findings provide a reference for optimizing the management of economic forest restoration to improve soil quality.