Honey
Honey is the natural sweet substance produced by honey bees from the nectar of plants or from secretions of living parts of plants, which the bees collect, transform, deposit in the comb and leave to ripen. It is sold as a table food, as an ingredient in baking, cereal, confectionery, sauces and beverages, as a fermentation feedstock for mead and vinegar, and into cosmetic and wound care manufacture. Its character comes from the plants the bees worked, which is why unifloral honeys trade as distinct articles from blended multifloral honey.
Listed honey markets
Each line is a grade at a delivery point. Open one for its full specification and terms.
Grades
Honey is graded on composition, on freshness, on botanical origin and on residue clearance. Every one of those is a laboratory determination on a drawn sample, and a unifloral claim is only as good as the analysis behind it.
Composition and freshness
8 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Moisture contentPercentage by mass, maximum | Refractometry. The single most important number in the trade. Above the ceiling the honey ferments, and the ceiling is tighter for heather honey than for the rest. |
| Fructose and glucose, sumGrams per hundred grams, minimum | High performance liquid chromatography. The floor is lower for honeydew honey and for blends containing it. |
| Sucrose contentGrams per hundred grams, maximum | High performance liquid chromatography. A high figure points either to unripe honey or to feeding, and the ceiling is set higher for a short list of named floral sources. |
| Hydroxymethylfurfural, HMFMilligrams per kilogram, maximum | The freshness and heat abuse indicator. It rises with storage temperature and with processing heat, and it is the number a buyer reads to tell new crop from carryover. |
| Diastase activitySchade units, minimum | An enzyme activity, and the second half of the freshness pair. Naturally low in some floral sources, in which case it is contracted together with a tighter HMF ceiling. |
| Water insoluble solidsGrams per hundred grams, maximum | Higher ceiling permitted for pressed honey than for extracted honey. |
| Electrical conductivityMillisiemens per centimetre | The primary separator between blossom honey and honeydew or chestnut honey, and a supporting test for a unifloral claim. |
| Free acidityMilliequivalents per kilogram, maximum | Rises with fermentation. |
Authenticity and botanical origin
6 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Carbon isotope ratio, C4 sugarsPercentage, maximum, by EA-IRMS | Stable isotope ratio analysis with internal protein standard, detecting cane and corn syrup addition. |
| Liquid chromatography with high resolution mass spectrometry syrup screenPass or fail, with the marker list | Detects rice, beet and modified syrups that the isotope test alone does not catch. |
| Nuclear magnetic resonance profilingPass or fail against the reference database | Whole profile authentication and botanical and geographic verification. Increasingly the buyer test of record in Europe. |
| Pollen analysis, melissopalynologyPercentage of pollen grains from the named source | Microscopic count of the pollen spectrum. The classical evidence for a unifloral claim, read alongside conductivity, colour and sensory assessment. |
| Sensory assessmentDeclared, against the reference profile | Aroma, flavour and defect, assessed by a trained panel against the profile for the named floral source. |
| ColourMillimetres on the Pfund scale, or the descriptive class | Water white, extra white, white, extra light amber, light amber, amber and dark amber. It is a physical measurement of light transmission, not a quality score. |
Floral source and presentation as contracted articles
9 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| UnifloralDeclared, with the botanical name of the source | Sidr, acacia and false acacia, manuka, orange blossom, clover, rapeseed, sunflower, lavender, thyme, chestnut, buckwheat, eucalyptus, linden, heather, tualang, jujube and the rest. Contracted on the botanical species and evidenced by the pollen and profile analysis. |
| MultifloralDeclared | Blossom honey without a single dominant source. The bulk of world trade. |
| HoneydewDeclared | Produced from the secretions of plant sucking insects on living parts of plants rather than from nectar. Forest and pine honey. A different article with its own composition limits. |
| Raw and unheatedDeclared, with the maximum temperature reached | Coarse filtered only, never pasteurised. A processing declaration, and it is verified through the HMF and diastase pair. |
| FilteredDeclared | Filtered to a stated fineness. Where pollen is removed, the botanical origin can no longer be evidenced by pollen analysis, and destination labelling rules follow. |
| Creamed or setDeclared | Controlled crystallisation to a fine, spreadable texture. |
| Comb, cut comb and chunkDeclared | Sold in the wax comb. A distinct article with its own packing and handling. |
| Industrial or baker gradeDeclared | Honey with a foreign taste or odour, or that has begun to ferment or has been overheated. It is a legitimate contracted article for industrial use and it is never delivered against a table honey specification. |
| Methylglyoxal contentMilligrams per kilogram | Contracted specifically for manuka, where the non-peroxide activity is carried by this compound and is settled as a measured concentration. |
Residues and contaminants
6 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Veterinary drug residuesMilligrams per kilogram, maximum, by substance | Screened by liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry against the destination market residue list. Chloramphenicol, nitrofuran metabolites, sulphonamides and tetracyclines are the standard screen and the usual reason a lot is rejected. |
| Pesticide residuesMilligrams per kilogram, maximum, by substance | Multi-residue screen against the destination maximum residue limits, including the acaricides used in the hive. |
| Heavy metalsMilligrams per kilogram, maximum | Lead and cadmium determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, against CXS 193. |
| Pyrrolizidine alkaloidsMicrograms per kilogram, maximum | Determined by liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry. Driven by the forage plants rather than by the beekeeper, so it is an origin question. |
| Antibiotic free declarationDeclared, with the screen list and the limits of detection | Named substances, named method, named laboratory. A bare declaration without the screen list is worth nothing. |
| GlyphosateMilligrams per kilogram, maximum | Screened separately in most destination markets. |
Documentation and delivery
5 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| CertificationCertificate, with the scheme and the certificate number | Organic, fair trade, kosher, halal or a private buyer standard, named on the contract when it is contracted. |
| TraceabilityDeclared, to apiary or to collection centre | Beekeeper or cooperative, apiary location and harvest batch. It is the only defence against an origin claim. |
| PackingDeclared | Drums, pails, cartons or blocks, with the liner specified. It is a delivery term and it is priced. |
| Sampling planDeclared | How many drums are sampled and by whom. Hive products are heterogeneous between drums, so the plan is written before the cargo moves. |
| Crystallisation state on arrivalDeclared | Honey sets in transit. Whether the buyer receives it liquid, whether it may be reheated and to what temperature is written into the contract, because reheating moves the HMF. |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| China | Zhejiang, Hubei, Sichuan, Qinghai, Jiangsu | Origin and destination |
| Turkiye | Mugla, Rize, Hakkari, Ordu, Adana | Origin and destination |
| Argentina | Buenos Aires, Entre Rios, Santa Fe, La Pampa | Origin and destination |
| India | Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, West Bengal | Origin and destination |
| Ukraine | Vinnytsia, Kyiv, Poltava, Mykolaiv | Origin and destination |
| Mexico | Yucatan, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Jalisco, Veracruz | Origin and destination |
| Brazil | Piaui, Ceara, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Bahia | Origin and destination |
| Spain | Andalusia, Castile and Leon, Extremadura, Valencia | Origin and destination |
| New Zealand | Northland, Bay of Plenty, East Cape, Waikato | Origin and destination |
| Australia | New South Wales, Western Australia, Victoria, Queensland | Origin and destination |
| Vietnam | Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Dong Nai, Binh Phuoc | Origin and destination |
| Yemen | Hadhramaut, Shabwah, Abyan, Al Mahrah | Origin and destination |
| Pakistan | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Balochistan | Origin and destination |
| Bangladesh | Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat (Sundarbans forest range) | Origin |
| Saudi Arabia | Jazan, Asir, Al Bahah | Origin and destination |
| Ethiopia | Oromia, Amhara, Tigray, Southern Nations | Origin and destination |
| Tanzania | Tabora, Singida, Katavi, Kigoma | Origin and destination |
| Zambia | North Western, Copperbelt | Origin and destination |
| Uganda | Northern, West Nile | Origin and destination |
| Kenya | Baringo, West Pokot, Kitui | Origin and destination |
| Cameroon | Northwest, Adamawa | Origin and destination |
| Ukraine | Zakarpattia, Odesa | Origin and destination |
| Romania | Banat, Moldova region, Muntenia | Origin and destination |
| Hungary | Great Plain, Transdanubia | Origin and destination |
| Bulgaria | Thrace, Danube plain | Origin and destination |
| Poland | Lublin, Podlasie, Warmia | Origin and destination |
| Germany | Nationwide | Origin and destination |
| France | Provence, Occitanie, Auvergne, Brittany | Origin and destination |
| Italy | Piedmont, Tuscany, Sicily, Calabria | Origin and destination |
| Greece | Attica, Crete, Halkidiki, Peloponnese | Origin and destination |
| Portugal | Alentejo, Tras-os-Montes | Origin and destination |
| Canada | Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba | Origin and destination |
| United States | North Dakota, South Dakota, California, Montana, Florida | Origin and destination |
| Chile | Araucania, Los Lagos, Bio Bio | Origin and destination |
| Uruguay | Canelones, Florida | Origin and destination |
| Cuba | Matanzas, Camaguey | Origin and destination |
| Guatemala | Peten, Escuintla | Origin and destination |
| Malaysia | Pahang, Kelantan | Origin and destination |
| Indonesia | Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan | Origin and destination |
| Japan | Nationwide | Destination |
| United Arab Emirates | Nationwide | Destination |
| United Kingdom | Nationwide | Destination |
| Netherlands | Nationwide | Destination |
| Belgium | Nationwide | Destination |
| South Korea | Nationwide | Destination |
| Singapore | Nationwide | Destination |
| Kuwait | Nationwide | Destination |
| Qatar | Nationwide | Destination |
| Oman | Nationwide | Destination |
Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown here.
Timing
Harvest is when the honey is extracted at origin. Arrival is when a shipment from that origin typically lands in a consuming market. The gap between them is settling, coarse filtering, drumming, laboratory clearance and the voyage.
HarvestArrival
| Origin | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | Window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest Nov to Apr, arrival Jan to JunSouthern hemisphere clover, sunflower and eucalyptus flows through the austral summer. Argentina is the reference bulk export origin and it sets the drum price. | ||||
| China | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Mar to Oct, arrival May to DecA long season running north with the flowering front, from rapeseed in spring to vitex and jujube in summer. | ||
| Turkiye | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Apr to Oct, arrival Jun to DecPine honeydew in the Aegean through late summer and autumn, chestnut and highland blossom earlier. Much of it is consumed domestically. | |||
| Ukraine | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest May to Sep, arrival Jul to NovAcacia in late spring, then sunflower and rapeseed. The largest European exporter into the bulk trade. | |||||
| Mexico | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest Nov to May, arrival Jan to JulYucatan season through the dry months, with tzitzilche and dzidzilche flows. Traditionally shipped to Germany and the United Kingdom. | |||
| Brazil | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Sep to Mar, arrival Nov to MayCaatinga and eucalyptus flows in the northeast and the south, and the origin of most certified organic bulk honey. | |||
| India | Arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Feb to Dec, arrival Apr to FebTwo flows, mustard and litchi in the spring and the post monsoon multiflora in the autumn. | |||
| Vietnam | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Feb to Jun, arrival Apr to AugCoffee blossom and rubber flows in the first half of the year. | |||||
| Yemen | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Sep to Dec, arrival Nov to FebSidr flows from the Hadhramaut in the autumn, and it is the shortest and most closely held season in the article. | ||||||
| Pakistan | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Oct to Jan, arrival Dec to MarSidr and beri flows in the autumn and early winter in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Punjab. | ||||||
| New Zealand | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest Dec to Mar, arrival Feb to MayManuka flowering runs a few weeks per region through the austral summer. Every drum is analysed before it moves. | ||||||
| Spain | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Apr to Sep, arrival Jun to NovOrange blossom in the spring, then rosemary, thyme and mountain flows into the autumn. | ||||
| Canada | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Jun to Sep, arrival Aug to NovA short prairie clover and canola season, and the source of the pale water white honey the blending trade uses to lift a blend. | ||||||
| United States | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest May to Sep, arrival Jul to NovClover and alfalfa in the northern plains, orange blossom in Florida and California earlier in the year. | |||||
| Ethiopia | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest May to Dec, arrival Jul to FebTwo flows, the main one after the long rains and a smaller one in the middle of the year. | |||
| Australia | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Oct to Mar, arrival Dec to MayEucalyptus and jarrah flows through the austral spring and summer, on a flowering cycle that is not annual for every species. | ||||
| Bangladesh | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Apr to Jun, arrival Jun to AugMangrove flows (sundri, khalsi, gewa, keora, goran, bain) in the Sundarbans, hand-harvested by permitted mawali collectors under the Bangladesh Forest Department season running roughly Chaitra to Ashar (April to June). Multifloral-to-monofloral mangrove honey, distinct from the Sidr grade already carried under Pakistan. |
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 honey. 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 heading0409.00 Natural honey
- PackingHoney in 300 kg food grade steel or HDPE drums, or 25 kg pails. Beeswax in 25 kg blocks or slabs on pallets. Propolis chilled in lined cartons.
- Container loading20ft: 20 t to 22 t of honey in 80 drums. Beeswax at 18 t to 20 t. Keep honey below 25 degrees Celsius to protect HMF and diastase.
- Contract and arbitrationSale on specification with a certificate of analysis covering moisture, HMF, diastase activity, C4 sugar and, increasingly, NMR profiling. Arbitration under ICC rules or at the contract seat.
- Destination limitsEU Honey Directive 2001/110 as amended by Directive 2024/1438 with mandatory country of origin labelling, veterinary drug residue limits under Regulation 37/2010 with chloramphenicol, nitrofurans and streptomycin at zero tolerance, a listed third country residue plan under Regulation 2022/1646, adulteration screening by NMR and EA-IRMS on C4 and foreign sugars, and pyrrolizidine alkaloid limits under Regulation 2023/915.
Common questions
What grades of honey does SIP Global trade?
We quote 34 published grades of honey, including Moisture content - Percentage by mass, maximum, Fructose and glucose, sum - Grams per hundred grams, minimum, Sucrose content - Grams per hundred grams, maximum, Hydroxymethylfurfural, HMF - Milligrams per kilogram, maximum, Diastase activity - Schade units, minimum and Water insoluble solids - Grams per hundred grams, maximum. Every grade is tied to a delivery point and a settlement route. Grades outside the published list are priced on request.
How is honey graded?
Honey is graded on composition, on freshness, on botanical origin and on residue clearance. Every one of those is a laboratory determination on a drawn sample, and a unifloral claim is only as good as the analysis behind it. Grading runs on 5 systems: Composition and freshness, Authenticity and botanical origin, Floral source and presentation as contracted articles, Residues and contaminants and Documentation and delivery.
Where does SIP Global trade honey?
We trade honey in China, Turkiye, Argentina, India, Ukraine, Mexico, Brazil and Spain and 41 further markets. Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown.
When is honey harvested and when does it arrive?
Typical windows are Argentina: harvest nov to apr, arrival jan to jun; China: harvest mar to oct, arrival may to dec; Turkiye: harvest apr to oct, arrival jun to dec; Ukraine: harvest may to sep, arrival jul to nov; Mexico: harvest nov to may, arrival jan to jul. 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 honey?
Honey is normally classified under HS 0409.00 (natural honey). 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 honey?
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. 3 listed honey markets are 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.