Bird's Nest
Edible bird nest is the hardened salivary secretion built into a nest by swiftlets of the genus Aerodramus, principally the white nest swiftlet, and harvested either from limestone caves or from purpose built swiftlet houses across island Southeast Asia. The nest is composed largely of glycoprotein and it is consumed as a tonic food, simmered slowly into a soup or a sweetened dessert, and increasingly used as an ingredient in bottled beverages, confectionery and cosmetics. It is among the highest value food products traded by weight anywhere in the world, and demand is concentrated in Greater China, where it has been eaten for centuries and where import is tightly controlled at the border.
Listed bird's nest markets
Each line is a grade at a delivery point. Open one for its full specification and terms.
Grades
Bird nest is contracted on the form it ships in, on shape and colour, on the impurity content that determines how much usable nest survives cleaning, and on the nitrite and adulteration testing that governs entry into the consuming markets.
Species identity and product form
5 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| SpeciesDeclared, by scientific name | Aerodramus fuciphagus for the white nest and Aerodramus maximus for the black nest. The species is declared on the export documentation and it is verifiable by genetic testing. |
| SourceDeclared | House nest, taken from a managed swiftlet house, or cave nest, taken from a natural cave. Source affects shape, mineral content and the impurity load. |
| Processing stateDeclared | Raw unclean, raw clean, cleaned, or processed and ready to eat. Raw unclean nest carries the feather and debris as harvested and it is the form most often traded between origin and a cleaning house. |
| Cleaning methodDeclared | Dry cleaned or wet cleaned, and whether the nest was reshaped or moulded after cleaning. Moulding is permitted in some markets and disclosed in all of them. |
| Bleaching and treatmentDeclared, and prohibited where stated | Hydrogen peroxide, sulphur or any whitening treatment. Treated nest is a different product and it is priced as one. |
Size and physical grading
6 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Shape gradeDeclared, by form | Whole cup or boat, triangle or corner nest, strip, and biscuit or fragment pressed from broken nest. Whole intact cups carry the premium because they demonstrate the nest was harvested and cleaned without breaking. |
| ColourDeclared, against an agreed retained sample | White, golden or red. Colour arises from the nest environment and it is a trade classification, not a quality ranking, but it is priced separately. |
| Piece weightGrams per piece | Weighed individually on a drawn sample. Larger intact pieces carry a premium and the contract states the band. |
| Piece countCount per kilogram | The cross check on piece weight, taken on the whole consignment weight. |
| Strand structure and thicknessDeclared, against a retained sample | Strand density and nest wall thickness govern how the nest holds together when simmered and how much it expands. |
| BreakagePercentage by mass, maximum | Broken and fragmented pieces in a lot sold as whole cups, separated and weighed. |
Composition and laboratory analysis
8 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| MoisturePercentage by mass, maximum | Determined by oven drying. Nest is sold by weight at extreme value, so moisture is a commercial term as much as a keeping term and it is measured on arrival as well as on shipment. |
| Impurity contentPercentage by mass | Feather, eggshell, droppings and nest base material in raw unclean nest, separated by hand from a drawn sample and weighed. It is the term that determines the recovered yield after cleaning and it is the principal price driver on raw material. |
| Recovered yieldPercentage by mass, after cleaning | The clean nest recovered from a stated weight of raw unclean material, established on a trial cleaning of a drawn sample where the contract calls for it. |
| Nitrite and nitrateMilligrams per kilogram, maximum | Determined by the Malaysian standard test method or an equivalent chromatographic method. It is the limit that closed and then reopened the China trade, and the ceiling in force at the destination is written into the contract. |
| Crude proteinPercentage by mass | Determined by the Kjeldahl or Dumas method. Nest is predominantly glycoprotein and the protein figure is the first check against dilution. |
| Sialic acidPercentage by mass | Determined by chromatography. It is the marker compound characteristic of genuine nest and it is used both as an authenticity check and as a specification term. |
| Expansion ratioTimes the dry weight, by mass after soaking | Measured by soaking a weighed sample under an agreed protocol and weighing the swollen nest. It is the functional performance test and it is what the end user actually buys. |
| Adulteration screeningDeclared, with the method | Karaya gum, agar, tremella fungus, pork skin, egg white, glucose, monosodium glutamate and starch are the known adulterants. Screening is by microscopy, chromatography and genetic testing. |
Cleanliness, contamination and food safety
9 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Foreign matterPercentage by mass, maximum | Sand, shell, stone, plastic, netting and any material that is not the named product, separated by hand from a drawn sample and weighed. |
| Heavy metalsMilligrams per kilogram, maximum, by named element | Mercury, cadmium, lead and inorganic arsenic, determined by atomic absorption or mass spectrometry against the limit in force at the destination. |
| Microbiological criteriaColony forming units per gram, and presence or absence for pathogens | Total plate count, Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Vibrio and Staphylococcus, examined under the Codex and destination criteria on samples prepared to ISO 6887. |
| Additive and preservative residuesMilligrams per kilogram, maximum, by named substance | Sulphite, benzoate, hydrogen peroxide, borax and any bleaching agent, declared and tested. Several destinations prohibit substances that others permit. |
| Veterinary drug and pesticide residuesMicrograms per kilogram, maximum, by named substance | Applies to farmed product. Chloramphenicol, nitrofurans, malachite green and the tetracyclines are the residues most often tested at discharge. |
| Insects, mites and live pestsZero tolerance where specified | Dried marine products are stored goods and they attract pests. Inspected before stuffing, and a live find at discharge is a rejection rather than a discount. |
| Decomposition and taintOrganoleptic examination of a cooked and a raw portion | Assessed by a trained panel under the Codex sensory method. Ammoniacal, rancid or sour notes are defects and they are recorded against the sample. |
| Feather and downPercentage by mass, maximum, on cleaned nest | Residual feather after cleaning, counted and weighed under magnification. It is the defect that defines the difference between cleaning grades. |
| Mould and fungal growthZero tolerance on cleaned nest | Nest stored above its safe water activity moulds, and mould is not removable by further cleaning. |
Delivery, documentation and certification
11 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| PackingDeclared, with the inner and outer format | Carton, sack, drum, vacuum pouch or interleaved block, with the net weight per unit and the marking written into the contract. |
| Weight basisDeclared | Net weight, net of glaze where the product is glazed, and shipped weight or landed weight, with the survey house named. |
| Health certificateCertificate, issued by the competent authority of the exporting country | Required by most destinations for products of animal origin. It names the approved establishment number of the processing plant. |
| Establishment approvalApproval number, issued by the destination authority | European Union approval number, China GACC registration number or United States FDA registration, named on the contract when the destination requires it. |
| Catch or farm documentationCertificate, with the vessel or farm named | Catch certificate under the illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing rules, or the farm registration and movement documents for cultured product. |
| Cold chain or storage conditionDeclared, in degrees Celsius or as ambient dry storage | Carrying temperature, the recorder placed in the container and the tolerance, agreed before loading. |
| CertificationCertificate, with the scheme and the certificate number | Marine Stewardship Council, Aquaculture Stewardship Council, Best Aquaculture Practices, organic or halal, named on the contract when it is contracted. |
| Traceability and lot identityDeclared, with the lot code | Production date, lot number and the vessel, landing site or farm of origin, carried on the carton and on the packing list. |
| China market registrationRegistration number, issued by the General Administration of Customs of China | Bird nest enters mainland China only from establishments registered under the customs decrees and under the bilateral protocol with the exporting country. The registration number travels on the documents. |
| Traceability codeDeclared, per piece or per lot | Origin market codes require a traceable code tying the nest to the registered swiftlet house or cave and to the processing plant. |
| PackingDeclared | Individual compartment trays, sealed boxes with desiccant, or vacuum pack, chosen to protect the shape of the cup as much as the moisture. |
Grades outside this list trade on request. Send us the contract specification you work to and we will price against it.
Locations
| Country | Region | We trade it as |
|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara, Java and Maluku | Origin and destination |
| Malaysia | Sabah, Sarawak and the Perak coast | Origin and destination |
| Thailand | Samut Sakhon, Songkhla and the Andaman coast | Origin and destination |
| Vietnam | Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang and the Mekong delta | Origin and destination |
| Philippines | Visayas, Palawan and Mindanao | Origin and destination |
| Myanmar | Rakhine and Tanintharyi coasts | Origin and destination |
| China | Shandong, Fujian, Guangdong and Hainan | Origin and destination |
| Hong Kong | Sheung Wan dried seafood trade and re-export into mainland China | Destination and trading hub |
| Taiwan | Kaohsiung and the western coastal processing base | Destination |
| Singapore | Regional trading, finance and re-export | Trading and finance |
| United States | Alaska, the Gulf coast, New England and the Pacific northwest | Origin and destination |
| Canada | Atlantic provinces and British Columbia | Origin and destination |
| Australia | Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia | Origin and destination |
| United Arab Emirates | Dubai re-export and Gulf consumption | Destination |
| Japan | Hokkaido, Kyushu and the Seto Inland Sea | Origin and destination |
| South Korea | Jeollanam-do and the southern island fisheries | Origin and destination |
Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown here.
Timing
Harvest is when the nest is taken at origin. Arrival is when a shipment from that origin typically lands in a consuming market. Nest is built and rebuilt on a continuous cycle rather than a crop season, so the constraint on timing is the harvest permit and the cleaning and registration lead time rather than the weather.
HarvestArrival
| Origin | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | Window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecHouse nests are harvested on a rolling cycle through the year, with the wet months giving the heavier and cleaner nests. |
| Malaysia | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecContinuous house harvest on a managed cycle, with cave nest taken on a controlled seasonal permit. |
| Thailand | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecHouse and island cave production, with cave harvest confined to the permitted windows. |
| Vietnam | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Harvest Mar to Sep, arrival Apr to OctIsland cave harvest concentrated in two permitted seasons, with house production running alongside it. | ||||
| Philippines | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecPalawan and Visayas cave and house production on a rolling harvest. |
Windows outside this pattern trade on request, including carry, forward positions and stock already sitting in a destination warehouse.
Customs, packing and contract terms
Indicative terms for bird's nest. Tariff classification is the importer’s responsibility and limits change, so confirm both against the destination customs authority and the current regulation before you fix a contract.
- HS heading0410.90 Other edible products of animal origin, including edible bird nest
- PackingCartons of 10 kg to 20 kg with food grade liner, vacuum packed for high value items. Water activity at pack decides whether the lot ships ambient or chilled.
- Container loading20ft: 10 t to 18 t, generally volume limited. Reefer at minus 18 degrees Celsius for frozen, ambient or chilled for dried depending on water activity.
- Contract and arbitrationSale on sample and specification against a certificate of analysis, with the establishment approval number stated in the contract. Arbitration under ICC rules or at the contract seat.
- Destination limitsDestination specific: China requires registration of the processing establishment under GACC with traceability coding on every packet, and nitrite limits apply. EU entry requires an approved establishment under Regulation 2019/627 with heat treatment evidence, plus avian influenza controls on the origin.
Common questions
What grades of bird's nest does SIP Global trade?
We quote 39 published grades of bird's nest, including Species - Declared, by scientific name, Source - Declared, Processing state - Declared, Cleaning method - Declared, Bleaching and treatment - Declared, and prohibited where stated and Shape grade - Declared, by form. Every grade is tied to a delivery point and a settlement route. Grades outside the published list are priced on request.
How is bird's nest graded?
Bird nest is contracted on the form it ships in, on shape and colour, on the impurity content that determines how much usable nest survives cleaning, and on the nitrite and adulteration testing that governs entry into the consuming markets. Grading runs on 5 systems: Species identity and product form, Size and physical grading, Composition and laboratory analysis, Cleanliness, contamination and food safety and Delivery, documentation and certification.
Where does SIP Global trade bird's nest?
We trade bird's nest in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Myanmar, China and Hong Kong and 8 further markets. Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown.
When is bird's nest harvested and when does it arrive?
Typical windows are Indonesia: harvest jan to dec, arrival jan to dec; Malaysia: harvest jan to dec, arrival jan to dec; Thailand: harvest jan to dec, arrival jan to dec; Vietnam: harvest mar to sep, arrival apr to oct; Philippines: harvest jan to dec, arrival jan to dec. Harvest is when the lot is taken at origin, arrival is when a shipment from that origin lands in a consuming market. Windows outside this pattern, including carry, trade on request.
What is the HS code for bird's nest?
Bird's nest is normally classified under HS 0410.90 (other edible products of animal origin, including edible bird nest). The heading follows the form the goods are in at the border, and national tariffs extend it beyond six digits, so confirm the full line with the destination customs authority before you fix a contract.
How do I get a price for bird's nest?
Send the grade, the origin and the delivery window to the SIP Global desk. That is enough for a trader to come back with a level and a settlement route. 1 listed bird's nest market is published on this page, each with its full specification and terms. We take both sides, physical and financial, prompt to long dated.
Standards and data sources
The grading language on this sheet follows published standards. Trade volumes and tariff lines are public record. Verify anything here against the source.
- ISOInternational Organization for Standardization
- Codex AlimentariusFAO and WHO food standards
- UN ComtradeOfficial international trade statistics by HS code
- ITC Trade MapBilateral trade flows and tariff data
- FAOSTATFAO production and trade series for agricultural commodities
Price this with our desk
Grade, origin and window if you have them. If what you are carrying does not fit the sheet above, describe it in your own words and a trader will take it from there.