Copra Grades Explained: The ICC Standard

The International Coconut Community (ICC) — the intergovernmental body for the world coconut industry — publishes a formal Quality Standard for Copra that classifies copra into four grades, A through D, based on moisture, oil content, free fatty acid, color, aflatoxin-related mould, foreign matter, and the proportion of wrinkled or inferior kernels. This article sets out what that standard actually says, how it differs from a buyer's own contractual specification, and how to verify a grade claim before committing to a purchase.

Why Copra Grading Matters in Commercial Transactions

Copra is bought and sold without the buyer physically seeing the crop it came from. A grading system gives both sides a shared, measurable vocabulary — so that "Grade A" or "Grade B" refers to a specific combination of moisture, oil content, and contamination limits rather than a subjective impression. Without that shared reference point, disputes over whether a delivered lot matches what was ordered become difficult to resolve, because there is no agreed yardstick to check the lot against.

Grading also directly affects commercial value. Lower-grade copra typically commands a lower price because it requires more aggressive refining to reach food-grade oil, yields less oil per tonne, or carries more compliance risk for the buyer in regulated markets. Our article on copra quality, moisture, and aflatoxin explains why moisture in particular is such a heavily weighted factor in every grading system we found.

The Official ICC Quality Standard for Copra

Verification note: we reviewed the ICC's own product page, which publishes the full text of its "ICC Quality Standard for Copra" (International Coconut Community, "Copra," product and standards page). The standard is structured as a short technical document with the following sections: Scope, References, Description (definition and classification), Essential Composition and Quality Factors, Food Additives, Hygiene, Labelling and Packaging, and Methods of Analysis and Sampling.

Scope and Definition

The ICC standard defines copra as "the dried kernel of coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) by sun drying, direct drying (smoking), kiln drying, or other drying methods," and states that it applies to copra generally. The standard's References section notes that it draws on several national standards already in use across coconut-producing countries: the Indonesian National Standard (SNI 01-3946-1995), the Philippine National Standard (PNS/BAFPS), the Malaysian Standard (MS 235:1986), and the Thailand Coconut Industrial Standard (TIS 269-1978) (International Coconut Community, "Copra").

The Four ICC Grades

The standard classifies copra into four grades:

Grade A — Superior, edible copra
Grade B — Good quality, export grade
Grade C — Fair quality
Grade D — Non-standard

Essential Composition and Quality Factors

The ICC standard sets the following parameter limits for each grade:

Parameter	Grade A	Grade B	Grade C	Grade D
Moisture (%, max)	6	8	13.90	more than 13.90
Oil content (%, min)	60	58	55	less than 55
Free fatty acid (%, max)	1	4	5	more than 5
Color of meat	Clean, white to pale yellow	Brown to dark brown	Brown to dark brown	Dark brown to black
Aflatoxin-related mould (ppb, max)	0	10	15	more than 15
Foreign matter (%, max)	0.5	1	2	more than 2
Wrinkled / inferior kernel (%, max)	0	10	15	more than 15

(Source: International Coconut Community, "ICC Quality Standard for Copra", Section 4.)

The standard also specifies: no food additives are permitted in copra covered by the standard; hygiene should follow the Codex Alimentarius Commission's General Principles of Food Hygiene; and labelling and packaging should follow the Codex General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods (International Coconut Community, "Copra").

Methods of Analysis Specified by the Standard

The ICC standard specifies the testing method for each parameter:

Moisture content: gravimetry
Oil content: Soxhlet extraction
Free fatty acid content: titrimetry
Foreign matter, mould, wrinkles, and color of meat: visual assessment

A note on a related but separate national standard. The Philippine BAFS technical bulletin on copra safety cites a related but not identical classification — "PNS/BAFPS 43:2009 Industrial Crops – Coconut (Copra)" — with its own three-grade table (Grades 1–3) and parameter values that are close to, but not numerically identical to, the ICC table above, including a tighter Grade-1 aflatoxin limit of 5 ppb versus the ICC's 0 ppb for Grade A (Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards, Ensuring the Safety and Quality of Copra, Table 1, 2021). This illustrates an important point for buyers: "ICC grade" and a national standard's grade are not automatically interchangeable, even where the grade letters or numbers look similar. Always confirm which specific standard a supplier is citing.

Grade vs. Buyer Specification vs. Contractual Acceptance Criteria

These three things are often used loosely in conversation but mean different things in a contract:

A grade (e.g., ICC Grade B) is a reference to a published standard's parameter ranges.
A buyer specification is whatever set of numeric limits the buyer has actually written into their purchase order or RFQ — which may match a published grade exactly, may be stricter in some parameters, or may be a custom blend of requirements from several standards.
Contractual acceptance criteria are the specific terms that determine whether a delivered lot is accepted, rejected, or price-adjusted — including sampling method, which laboratory's result governs in a dispute, and what tolerance (if any) is allowed around the stated limits.

Citing a grade name in a contract without also specifying the exact parameter table, sampling method, and testing standard being referenced leaves room for disagreement later. The safest approach is to either attach the full parameter table to the contract or explicitly reference the specific published standard document and its date/version.

How Grading Can Influence Buyer Decisions and Commercial Value

A crusher producing food-grade oil has little tolerance for high FFA or aflatoxin risk and will typically pay a premium for Grade A or equivalent material, or will blend higher-FFA lots with cleaner ones before pressing — a practice that itself needs to be disclosed and agreed in advance, not assumed. A buyer sourcing copra purely for feed-meal production downstream may accept a lower grade, provided it still clears the destination market's regulatory aflatoxin limit for feed, as discussed in our aflatoxin article.

How to Verify a Grade When Purchasing or Selling Copra

Ask which specific standard is being referenced — ICC, a named national standard (SNI, PNS/BAFPS, MS, TIS), or the buyer's/seller's own internal specification — and request the document or table.
Request a Certificate of Analysis (COA) from an accredited, independent laboratory showing the actual tested values for moisture, oil content, FFA, and (where relevant) aflatoxin, rather than relying on the grade label alone.
Confirm the test method used matches, or is equivalent to, the method specified in the relevant standard (e.g., gravimetry for moisture, titrimetry for FFA), since different methods can produce different readings for the same material.
Cross-check the COA against the stated grade's parameter table yourself rather than taking the grade name at face value.
Where possible, arrange independent sampling and testing rather than relying solely on a supplier-furnished certificate, particularly for larger or higher-value shipments. Our pre-shipment inspection guide covers representative sampling in detail.

Common Misunderstandings About Copra Quality Classifications

"Export grade" is not a precise technical term. It is sometimes used loosely to mean ICC Grade B or a national-standard equivalent, but it is not itself a defined parameter set unless tied to a specific standard.
A grade letter from one standard does not automatically match the same letter in another standard. As shown above, ICC grades and PNS/BAFPS grades use different numbering and, in places, different limits.
Visual grade claims (color, appearance) are not a substitute for aflatoxin testing. A visually clean, pale lot can still carry aflatoxin above the limit for its claimed grade; only laboratory testing confirms that specific parameter. See Copra Quality: Moisture, Mold, and Aflatoxin Explained for why visible mold and aflatoxin contamination are not the same thing.
A grade applies to the lot as sampled, not necessarily to the entire shipment with certainty, because of the non-homogeneous way contaminants like aflatoxin can be distributed within a bulk lot.

What Exporters and Importers Should Document in a Purchase Contract

The exact standard and grade being referenced, including document version/date
The full parameter table (not just the grade letter), to remove ambiguity
Required test methods and which laboratory's certificate governs
Sampling protocol (how samples are drawn, how many increments, aggregate sample size)
Tolerance, if any, around stated limits, and the price-adjustment or rejection mechanism for out-of-spec lots
Who bears the cost of re-testing in the event of a dispute, and the referee/arbitration process if the two parties' lab results disagree

If you'd like help translating your required copra grade into a clear written specification for your next purchase order, Many Hands Origins can walk you through our documentation and testing approach. Contact us at info@manyhandsorgins.com / +62 851-3937-6965 to discuss your specification.

Where to Go Next

What Is Copra? Uses, Grades, and Who Buys It
Copra Quality: Moisture, Mold, and Aflatoxin Explained — why moisture and aflatoxin dominate every grading system
How to Inspect Copra Before Shipment: Sampling and Testing — verifying a grade claim in practice

Discussing a specific grade or specification for your next copra order? Contact Many Hands Origins — we can confirm which grade(s) we currently supply and the documentation that comes with each shipment.

References

International Coconut Community, "Copra — ICC Quality Standard for Copra"
Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (Philippines), "Ensuring the Safety and Quality of Copra," Technical Bulletin No. 09, 2021, Table 1, citing PNS/BAFPS 43:2009

Editorial disclaimer: The factual, technical, regulatory, pricing, shipping, and product-specific statements in this draft are presented as supplied and are assumed correct for editorial purposes. This content is general information, not legal, customs, regulatory, financial, safety, or quality advice. Rules, standards, prices, and specifications can change; confirm current requirements before relying on this article for a transaction or shipment.