SCA (formerly SCAA) green coffee classification, as publicly restated

The Specialty Coffee Association's green grading protocol defines 'specialty' physically: a 350 g sample with no category 1 defects and at most 5 full category 2 defects, no quakers in the roast, moisture between 9 and 13 percent, and a cup free of faults. Lower bands (premium, exchange, below standard, off grade) widen the defect allowance. The facts here are restated from FAO's public post-harvest compendium and importer pages rather than from the SCA document itself.

Grades
5
Defect sample
350g
Screen sizes
5listed
Origins using it
0

The grades

In this atlas's own words
GradeWhat it requires
Specialty Grade (1)No more than 5 full defects in 300 g (350 g in the current protocol), zero primary (category 1) defects, no quakers, at least one distinctive attribute, free of faults and taints, 9-13% moisture, within 5% of stated screen.
Premium Grade (2)No more than 8 full defects per 300 g, primary defects permitted, up to 3 quakers, free of faults.
Exchange Grade (3)9-23 full defects, 50% by weight above screen 15 with no more than 5% below screen 14, no cup faults, up to 5 quakers.
Below Standard Grade (4)24-86 full defects per 300 g.
Off Grade (5)More than 86 full defects per 300 g.

How it is measured

Screen sizes

  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18 (screens used in the size analysis)

Defects per 350 g

Category 1 (primary) defects such as full black, full sour, pod/cherry, fungus damage, foreign matter and severe insect damage count one full defect per occurrence or small group; category 2 (secondary) defects such as partial black, partial sour, parchment, floater, immature, withered, shell, broken/chipped, hull, slight insect damage need several beans per full defect. Current SCA practice uses a 350 g sample; the FAO restatement predates that change and cites 300 g.

Altitude terms

None used.

The 350 g sample size reflects the current SCA protocol as commonly described; the fetched FAO restatement gives 300 g.

Other grading systems