Tragacanth
Gum tragacanth is the dried exudate of spiny Astragalus shrubs growing on the dry high plateaus of Iran, Turkey and the surrounding mountain belt. Incisions in the taproot and stem bleed a gum that dries in air into translucent ribbons or into twisted worm-like pieces. It swells in water into a stiff colloidal paste and is exceptionally stable to acid, which makes it the classical thickener and suspending agent for salad dressings, sauces, ice cream and confectionery, a binder in pharmaceutical pastes, lozenges and emulsions, a sizing and thickening agent for textile printing, and the traditional binder for sugar paste and floral craft work.
Listed tragacanth markets
Each line is a grade at a delivery point. Open one for its full specification and terms.
Grades
Tragacanth is contracted on species, on the physical form the collector delivered, and on the viscosity and identity tests of the food additive compendia. Ribbon and vermicelli are different articles at different prices and the contract names one of them.
Species and physical form as the contracted article
7 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Astragalus gummifer and related speciesDeclared, with the binomial name | The Astragalus section that yields commercial tragacanth. Related species yield materially different gum. |
| Ribbon, leaf or flakeFlat, translucent, curved strips | The premium form, from a deliberate incision that lets the gum dry flat. Palest and highest priced. |
| Vermicelli, worm or noodleTwisted, thread-like or curled pieces | From a narrower cut. A separate contracted article, never delivered against a ribbon contract. |
| SiftingsSmall broken pieces passing the sorting screen | Priced against the ribbon and contracted on its own account. |
| PowderDeclared, with the mesh | Milled gum, sized by sieve aperture. Most industrial users buy the powder. |
| ColourDeclared, against a retained reference sample | Near-colourless and translucent through to yellow brown. Matched to a sealed sample held by both parties. |
| Karaya gumLimit test, negative | Sterculia gum is the classical substitution. The compendial limit test is the check and it is contracted. |
Identity and purity, food additive specification
10 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| ViscosityMillipascal seconds, on a solution of stated concentration, temperature and hydration time | The functional property being purchased. Tragacanth is bought for its viscosity and the measurement conditions are written into the contract. |
| Loss on dryingPercentage by mass, maximum | Determined by oven drying at the stated temperature. |
| Total ashPercentage by mass, maximum | Mineral residue after incineration. |
| Acid-insoluble ashPercentage by mass, maximum | Sand and silica. It reads the collection method. |
| Water-insoluble matterPercentage by mass, maximum | Bark, soil and fibre that never hydrates. |
| Karaya gum limit testNegative | The compendial substitution check. |
| Starch, dextrin and other gumsLimit test, negative | Screens for the bulking adulterants. |
| Lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercuryMilligrams per kilogram, maximum | By inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, against the compendium and CXS 193. |
| Microbiological limitsColony forming units per gram, maximum, with the pathogen absence criteria | Total plate count, yeasts and moulds, Escherichia coli and Salmonella. Contracted on every food grade lot. |
| Food additive numberDeclared, as INS 413 or E 413 | The regulatory identity of the article in the destination market. |
Purity and contaminants
5 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Loss on drying, or moisturePercentage by mass, maximum | Determined by oven drying or by the entrainment method. It is the weight the buyer is not paying resin prices for, and it drives caking in the drum. |
| Foreign organic matterPercentage by mass, maximum | Bark, leaf, soil, sand, insect and any plant material other than the named exudate, separated by hand and weighed. |
| Heavy metalsMilligrams per kilogram, maximum | Lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, against CXS 193. |
| Microbiological limitsColony forming units per gram, maximum, with the pathogen absence criteria | Total viable count, yeasts and moulds, Escherichia coli and Salmonella. Contracted where the material enters food, pharmaceutical or cosmetic manufacture. |
| Pesticide residuesMilligrams per kilogram, maximum | Multi-residue screen against the destination market limits. |
Origin, legality and delivery
8 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Botanical originDeclared, with the binomial species name | The genus alone is not a specification. Related species yield materially different material and they are priced apart. |
| Wild harvested or cultivatedDeclared | It drives availability, legality documentation and, in several of these articles, the chemistry. |
| Legality and collection permitDeclared, with the permit reference | Export permit, forest concession or community collection agreement. Wild resins move on paperwork and it travels with the lot. |
| CertificationCertificate, with the scheme and the certificate number | Organic, FairWild, Fair for Life or a private buyer standard, named on the contract when it is contracted. |
| PackingDeclared | Jute or polypropylene bags, cartons, fibre drums, steel drums or bulk bags, with the liner specified. Soft resins are contracted with a temperature term because they cold flow. |
| Sampling planDeclared | How many packages are sampled, by whom, and against which retained reference sample. Hand sorted natural material is heterogeneous between bags. |
| Processing routeDeclared | Raw sorted gum, milled powder or a hydrated solution, with any sterilisation step named. |
| SterilisationDeclared | Steam, ethylene oxide or irradiation, or untreated. Declared because destination markets differ on what they permit. |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Iran | Isfahan, Fars, Kerman, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, and the Zagros plateau | Origin |
| Turkey | Central Anatolia, Konya, Sivas, Kayseri and Erzurum | Origin and destination |
| Iraq | Kurdistan region and the northern highlands | Origin |
| Syria | Northern and eastern highlands | Origin |
| Afghanistan | Central highlands and Herat | Origin |
| Armenia | Central highlands | Origin |
| Azerbaijan | Highland districts | Origin |
| Georgia | Southern highlands | Origin |
| Pakistan | Balochistan and the northern areas | Origin |
| Greece | Northern Greece | Origin and destination |
| India | Gujarat, Delhi and Maharashtra | Destination |
| United Arab Emirates | Dubai and Sharjah | Destination |
| Germany | North Rhine-Westphalia and Hamburg | Destination |
| France | Paris basin and Lyon | Destination |
| United Kingdom | London and the North West | Destination |
| Italy | Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna | Destination |
| Spain | Barcelona and Valencia | Destination |
| Netherlands | Rotterdam | Destination |
| Belgium | Antwerp | Destination |
| Switzerland | Basel | Destination |
| Poland | Warsaw | Destination |
| United States | New Jersey, Illinois and California | Destination |
| Canada | Ontario and Quebec | Destination |
| Mexico | Mexico City | Destination |
| Brazil | Sao Paulo | Destination |
| China | Shanghai, Guangdong and Shandong | Destination |
| Japan | Tokyo and Osaka | Destination |
| South Korea | Seoul | Destination |
| Singapore | Singapore | Destination |
| Egypt | Cairo | Destination |
| Saudi Arabia | Jeddah and Riyadh | Destination |
| South Africa | Gauteng | Destination |
| Australia | New South Wales | Destination |
Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown here.
Timing
Harvest is when the material is tapped or gathered at origin. Arrival is when a shipment from that origin typically lands in a consuming market. The gap between them is drying, hand sorting, grading, laboratory clearance and the voyage.
HarvestArrival
| Origin | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | Window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iran | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Jun to Oct, arrival Sep to FebTapping runs through the dry summer and early autumn on the high plateau, with the gum left on the plant to dry in air before collection. Hand sorting into ribbon and vermicelli adds weeks. | |||
| Turkey | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Jun to Oct, arrival Aug to JanAnatolian collection through the dry months, with a short haul to Mersin and Izmir. | ||||
| Iraq | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Jun to Sep, arrival Sep to DecKurdistan highland collection in the dry summer, moving out through Turkish ports. | |||||
| Afghanistan | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Jun to Sep, arrival Oct to JanCentral highland collection in the summer, with a long overland leg to a port. | ||||
| Syria | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Jun to Sep, arrival Sep to DecHighland collection in the dry months, with logistics the binding constraint. | |||||
| Pakistan | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest May to Sep, arrival Aug to DecBalochistan and northern area collection through the dry season, shipped from Karachi. |
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 tragacanth. 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 heading1301.90 Natural gums, other, including gum tragacanth
- PackingJute or PP bags of 25 kg to 50 kg for tears and lumps, fibre drums or lined cartons for hand sorted and graded material, steel drums for rosin and oleoresins.
- Container loading20ft: 12 t to 20 t depending on grade and bulk density. Hand sorted grades ship light.
- Contract and arbitrationSale on the sorted grade with a retained sealed sample and a certificate of analysis. European trade on the terms of the importing association, arbitration under ICC rules or at the contract seat.
- Destination limitsEU food additive specifications under Regulation 231/2012 where the gum is an additive, covering E414 gum arabic, E413 tragacanth and E904 shellac. Pesticide and heavy metal limits, EU REACH for technical grades, phytosanitary certification, and CITES where the botanical source is a listed species.
Common questions
What grades of tragacanth does SIP Global trade?
We quote 29 published grades of tragacanth, including Astragalus gummifer and related species - Declared, with the binomial name, Ribbon, leaf or flake - Flat, translucent, curved strips, Vermicelli, worm or noodle - Twisted, thread-like or curled pieces, Siftings - Small broken pieces passing the sorting screen, Powder - Declared, with the mesh and Colour - Declared, against a retained reference sample. Every grade is tied to a delivery point and a settlement route. Grades outside the published list are priced on request.
How is tragacanth graded?
Tragacanth is contracted on species, on the physical form the collector delivered, and on the viscosity and identity tests of the food additive compendia. Ribbon and vermicelli are different articles at different prices and the contract names one of them. Grading runs on 4 systems: Species and physical form as the contracted article, Identity and purity, food additive specification, Purity and contaminants and Origin, legality and delivery.
Where does SIP Global trade tragacanth?
We trade tragacanth in Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia and 25 further markets. Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown.
When is tragacanth harvested and when does it arrive?
Typical windows are Iran: harvest jun to oct, arrival sep to feb; Turkey: harvest jun to oct, arrival aug to jan; Iraq: harvest jun to sep, arrival sep to dec; Afghanistan: harvest jun to sep, arrival oct to jan; Syria: harvest jun to sep, arrival sep 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 tragacanth?
Tragacanth is normally classified under HS 1301.90 (natural gums, other, including gum tragacanth). 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 tragacanth?
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 tragacanth 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.
- 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.