Carbon core-valance-valence (KVV) Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and core-level X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) features are shown to be conspicuously different for cubic, hexagonal and rhombohedral phases of SiC. This was also observed for p- and n-type 6H-SiC epilayers. The origin and assignments of these features are discussed. Application of these results to the identification of post-growth SiC phases is presented.