Hibiscus
Hibiscus in the botanical trade means the dried calyx of Hibiscus sabdariffa, known as roselle, karkade, sorrel or flor de jamaica depending on the market. The calyx is the fleshy red cup that remains after the flower drops, and it is picked by hand, separated from the seed capsule and dried. It is used in herbal tea and infusion blends in very large volume, as a natural red colourant, as an acidulant, and in beverages, jams, syrups and supplements. Its commercial character comes from anthocyanin pigment and organic acid content, which give it both the colour and the tartness that buyers pay for.
Listed hibiscus markets
Each line is a grade at a delivery point. Open one for its full specification and terms.
Grades
Hibiscus is contracted on the physical presentation and the colour and acid chemistry together. Whole calyx, cut, and powder are three price levels, and within each the colour strength and the proportion of seed capsule and stalk decide where a lot sits.
Botanical identity as the contracted article
4 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Hibiscus sabdariffa L.The commercial article | Roselle. Other Hibiscus species are not the article and are contracted separately. |
| Plant partDeclared | Dried calyx. Seed capsule, stalk and leaf are contaminants in this article, not components of it. |
| Variety typeDeclared | Dark red, light red or the pale varieties. It sets both the colour yield and the flavour, and it is a contract term. |
| Identity testingCertificate of analysis, with the method | Macroscopic examination and pigment profile against a retained reference sample. |
Physical form and processing route
10 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Whole calyxDeclared | Intact dried calyces, the premium tea and infusion article. |
| Whole calyx contentPercentage by mass, minimum | The proportion of the lot that is intact calyx rather than broken pieces, determined by hand separation of a drawn sample. |
| Cut and siftedDeclared, with the cut size | Material cut to a stated screen for blending and for tea bag filling. |
| Tea bag cutDeclared, with the sieve range | A fines-controlled cut specified so the material does not pass the bag paper. |
| PowderDeclared, with the mesh | Milled calyx for beverage and colour use. |
| Seed capsule contentPercentage by mass, maximum | Capsule left in the lot after separation. The main physical defect in the trade and it is weighed. |
| Stalk and stem contentPercentage by mass, maximum | Weighed on the same separated sample. |
| Dust and finesPercentage by mass, maximum | What falls through the finest screen. |
| ColourDeclared, against a retained reference sample | Deep red is the premium. Brown or faded material indicates rain during drying, heat, or age in store. |
| Drying routeDeclared | Sun dried, shade dried or mechanically dried, with the temperature, because pigment does not survive an aggressive dry. |
Colour and acid composition
8 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Total anthocyaninsMilligrams per hundred grams, minimum, as delphinidin-3-sambubioside equivalent | The pigment assay and the primary value marker for colourant use. |
| Colour strength in solutionAbsorbance at a stated wavelength and concentration | The practical measure a blender buys on, taken on a standardised infusion. |
| Titratable acidityPercentage by mass, as citric acid equivalent | The tartness that defines the article in a beverage system. |
| Organic acid profilePercentage by mass | Citric, malic, tartaric and hibiscus acid, reported where the buyer contracts on flavour rather than colour. |
| pHDeclared, at a stated concentration in water | Contracted for formulation compatibility. |
| Water-soluble extractivePercentage by mass | What actually infuses, and the tea trade measure of yield. |
| Total polyphenolsMilligrams of gallic acid equivalent per hundred grams | Reported for supplement labelling. |
| Water activityDeclared, maximum | The stability term in the bale. |
Purity and contaminants
9 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Loss on drying, or moisturePercentage by mass, maximum | Determined by oven drying or by the entrainment method. It governs mould risk in the bag and it is weight the buyer is not paying botanical prices for. |
| Foreign organic matterPercentage by mass, maximum | Soil, stones, stems where stems are not the article, other plant species and any material other than the named part, separated by hand and weighed. |
| Total ashPercentage by mass, maximum | Mineral residue after incineration. |
| Acid-insoluble ashPercentage by mass, maximum | The sand and silica fraction, and the classical measure of how carefully the material was lifted and washed. |
| Heavy metalsMilligrams per kilogram, maximum | Lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, against CXS 193 and the destination limits. |
| Pesticide residuesMilligrams per kilogram, maximum | Multi-residue screen against the destination market limits. Contracted on every lot destined for the European Union, Japan or a certified organic buyer. |
| MycotoxinsMicrograms per kilogram, maximum | Aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2, total aflatoxins and ochratoxin A. Field dried botanicals carry the risk and the destination sets the ceiling. |
| Microbiological limitsColony forming units per gram, maximum, with the pathogen absence criteria | Total aerobic count, yeasts and moulds, bile-tolerant Gram-negative bacteria, Escherichia coli and Salmonella. |
| Irradiation and sterilisationDeclared | Steam sterilised, ethylene oxide treated, irradiated or untreated. Declared on the contract, because destination markets differ on what they permit. |
Origin, legality and delivery
8 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Wild collected or cultivatedDeclared | It drives availability, the legality file and, in several of these articles, the marker chemistry. |
| Legality and collection permitDeclared, with the permit reference | Export permit, forest or land access agreement, or community collection agreement, travelling with the lot. |
| CertificationCertificate, with the scheme and the certificate number | Organic, FairWild, Fair for Life, Rainforest Alliance or a private buyer standard, named on the contract when it is contracted. |
| Crop year and harvest dateDeclared | Marker compounds decline with age. The crop year is a price term, not a formality. |
| PackingDeclared | Paper sacks, polypropylene bags, cartons, fibre drums or bulk bags, with the liner and the pallet configuration specified. |
| Sampling planDeclared | How many packages are sampled, by whom, and against which retained reference sample. Field dried botanicals are heterogeneous between bags. |
| Crop yearDeclared | Anthocyanin fades with time in store, so the crop year is a colour term and a price term. |
| Baling and compressionDeclared | Whole calyx is bulky and is often baled. The compression term matters because it breaks calyces and moves a lot down a grade. |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | Jigawa, Kano, Katsina and the northern states | Origin |
| Sudan | Kordofan and Darfur | Origin |
| Egypt | Aswan, Qena and Upper Egypt | Origin and destination |
| Senegal | Kaolack and the groundnut basin | Origin |
| Burkina Faso | The Centre and the Hauts-Bassins | Origin |
| Mali | Sikasso and Koulikoro | Origin |
| Ghana | The Northern and Upper regions | Origin |
| Mexico | Guerrero, Oaxaca and Michoacan | Origin and destination |
| Thailand | The northeastern provinces | Origin |
| China | Guangdong, Fujian and Yunnan | Origin and destination |
| India | Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal | Origin and destination |
| Tanzania | Morogoro and the central corridor | Origin |
| Jamaica | The parishes of the south coast | Origin |
| Malaysia | Terengganu and Kelantan | Origin and destination |
| Germany | Hamburg and the Rhine-Ruhr tea cluster | Destination |
| Netherlands | Rotterdam and the botanical trading cluster | Destination |
| United States | New Jersey, California and Texas | Destination |
| Canada | Ontario and Quebec | Destination |
| United Kingdom | Felixstowe and the tea packing cluster | Destination |
| France | Le Havre and Marseille | Destination |
| Italy | Genoa and the herbal tea cluster | Destination |
| Spain | Barcelona and Valencia | Destination |
| Poland | Gdansk and the tea packing cluster | Destination |
| Japan | Tokyo and Osaka | Destination |
| South Korea | Seoul and Busan | Destination |
| Brazil | Sao Paulo | Destination |
| Australia | Sydney and Melbourne | Destination |
| United Arab Emirates | Dubai and Jebel Ali | Destination |
| Saudi Arabia | Jeddah and Riyadh | Destination |
Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown here.
Timing
Harvest is when the plant material is lifted or cut at origin. Arrival is when a shipment from that origin typically lands in a consuming market. The gap between them is drying, cleaning, milling or extraction, laboratory clearance and the voyage.
HarvestArrival
| Origin | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | Window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest Nov to Feb, arrival Jan to MayCalyces are picked through the dry season in the northern states, then dried, separated and baled. Shipment runs out of Lagos and overland to the Sahelian trade. | |||||
| Sudan | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest Nov to Feb, arrival Jan to MayKordofan and Darfur picking in the dry season, moving through Port Sudan. | |||||
| Egypt | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Harvest Sep to Nov, arrival Nov to FebUpper Egyptian harvest in the autumn, shipping out of Alexandria and Damietta. | ||||||
| Mexico | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Nov to Jan, arrival Dec to MarGuerrero and Oaxaca harvest at the end of the rains, largely consumed domestically and shipped north. | |||||||
| Thailand | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest Nov to Jan, arrival Jan to AprNortheastern harvest in the cool dry season. | ||||||
| China | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Oct to Dec, arrival Dec to MarSouthern provincial harvest in the late autumn. | ||||||
| Senegal | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest Nov to Jan, arrival Jan to AprDry season picking, shipping out of Dakar. | ||||||
| Tanzania | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Jun to Aug, arrival Aug to NovA mid-year harvest that sits opposite the West African crop and supplies the off season. |
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 hibiscus. 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 heading1211.90 Plants and parts of plants used primarily in pharmacy, including hibiscus calyx
- PackingMultiwall paper sacks or PP bags of 20 kg to 25 kg with food grade liner, or fibre drums for powders and extracts. Sieve size, ash and foreign organic matter stated at load.
- Container loading20ft: 8 t to 14 t. Volume limited for whole leaf and root, weight limited for powders and extracts.
- Contract and arbitrationSale on specification with a certificate of analysis, botanical identity confirmed by macroscopic or HPTLC identification. European Herbal Infusions Association quality guidance and the terms of the importing association. Arbitration under ICC rules or at the contract seat.
- Destination limitsEU novel food authorisation under Regulation 2015/2283 for species without a history of consumption before May 1997, the Article 8 list under Regulation 1925/2006, pesticide MRLs under Regulation 396/2005, pyrrolizidine alkaloid limits on herbal infusions and aflatoxin and ochratoxin limits under Regulation 2023/915, and CITES for listed species. US: FDA dietary supplement rules with new dietary ingredient notification.
Common questions
What grades of hibiscus does SIP Global trade?
We quote 39 published grades of hibiscus, including Hibiscus sabdariffa L. - The commercial article, Plant part - Declared, Variety type - Declared, Identity testing - Certificate of analysis, with the method, Whole calyx - Declared and Whole calyx content - Percentage by mass, minimum. Every grade is tied to a delivery point and a settlement route. Grades outside the published list are priced on request.
How is hibiscus graded?
Hibiscus is contracted on the physical presentation and the colour and acid chemistry together. Whole calyx, cut, and powder are three price levels, and within each the colour strength and the proportion of seed capsule and stalk decide where a lot sits. Grading runs on 5 systems: Botanical identity as the contracted article, Physical form and processing route, Colour and acid composition, Purity and contaminants and Origin, legality and delivery.
Where does SIP Global trade hibiscus?
We trade hibiscus in Nigeria, Sudan, Egypt, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mali, Ghana and Mexico and 21 further markets. Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown.
When is hibiscus harvested and when does it arrive?
Typical windows are Nigeria: harvest nov to feb, arrival jan to may; Sudan: harvest nov to feb, arrival jan to may; Egypt: harvest sep to nov, arrival nov to feb; Mexico: harvest nov to jan, arrival dec to mar; Thailand: harvest nov to jan, arrival jan to apr. 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 hibiscus?
Hibiscus is normally classified under HS 1211.90 (plants and parts of plants used primarily in pharmacy, including hibiscus calyx). 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 hibiscus?
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 hibiscus 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.