Black Eyed Peas

Black-eyed peas are cowpeas of the Blackeye commercial variety, not an interchangeable name for every dry bean, cowpea, green field pea or processed pea product. A comparable lot needs Vigna unguiculata identity and commercial type, dry whole, split, fresh, frozen, canned or planting-seed form, crop year, moisture, damaged beans, defects, foreign material, stones, contrasting and blending classes, insect and odour condition, size and colour where specified, package and lot, origin, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window and information vintage.

Editorial evidence reviewedReviewed 2026-09-15Release 2026-09-19-batch-230

Market value

$120B

Producing countries tracked

11

Grading systems

1

Active supply risks

5

Trade corridors

6

Latest reviewed evidence

USDA's July 2023 United States Standards for Beans classify Blackeye beans as cowpeas of the Blackeye variety and set U.S. No. 1 maximums of 18 percent moisture, 4 percent total defects, 2 percent total damaged, 0.5 percent total foreign material, 0.2 percent stones, 0.5 percent contrasting classes and 5 percent classes that blend. These are U.S. dry-bean grade limits, not results for an untested lot, not specifications for frozen or canned product, and not current supply or price.

USDA U.S. No. 1 Blackeye-bean moisture ceiling

18

percent, maximum · USDA United States Standards for Beans, July 2023

USDA U.S. No. 1 Blackeye-bean total-defects ceiling

4

percent, maximum · USDA United States Standards for Beans, July 2023

USDA U.S. No. 1 Blackeye-bean total-damaged ceiling

2

percent, maximum · USDA United States Standards for Beans, July 2023

USDA U.S. No. 1 Blackeye-bean foreign-material ceiling

0.5

percent, maximum · USDA United States Standards for Beans, July 2023

USDA U.S. No. 1 Blackeye-bean stones ceiling

0.2

percent, maximum · USDA United States Standards for Beans, July 2023

USDA U.S. No. 1 Blackeye-bean contrasting-class ceiling

0.5

percent, maximum · USDA United States Standards for Beans, July 2023

USDA U.S. No. 1 Blackeye-bean blending-class ceiling

5

percent, maximum · USDA United States Standards for Beans, July 2023

Black-eyed peas are a commercial cowpea class, not every pea or bean

USDA defines Blackeye beans as cowpeas of the Blackeye variety and the inspection handbook also treats Browneye and Violeteye or Pinkeye types within that class. Codex CXS 171-1989 separately identifies cowpeas as Vigna unguiculata among dry pulses. Atlas therefore retains botanical identity, commercial type and colour pattern instead of merging Blackeye lots with Phaseolus beans, Pisum peas, other cowpea classes or a generic legume label.

Dry whole, split, fresh, frozen and canned products stay separate

Codex CXS 171-1989 covers whole, shelled or split dry pulses intended for direct human consumption and excludes several other processing and feed contexts. USDA maintains a separate grade system for frozen field peas and frozen black-eye peas. Moisture, defects, grade language, pack style, preparation, microbiological controls and value therefore remain attached to the exact dry, fresh, frozen, canned, split, flour or planting-seed product.

Grade limits are not a lot certificate

The U.S. No. 1 table gives maximum limits for moisture, defects, damage, foreign material, stones and class mixing. The USDA inspection handbook supplies procedures and visual class descriptions, and USDA's 2021 revision changed how insect webbing, filth and clean-cut weevil bore are handled. A seller's grade claim still needs a representative sample, official or named inspection basis, actual factor results, lot and sublot identity, test date and chain of custody.

A grade table does not establish a delivered black-eyed-pea price

Grade limits cannot establish crop availability, variety premium, count or size, cleaning and bagging yield, package value or logistics. A delivered comparison still needs current permitted observations for the exact dry or processed form, grade and factor results, crop year, tested lot, package, quantity, origin, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window, freight and information vintage. Atlas withholds a physical estimate when those observations or usage rights are missing.

Questions procurement teams ask

Are black-eyed peas peas or beans in U.S. grading?

USDA's bean standards classify Blackeye beans as cowpeas of the Blackeye variety. Codex identifies cowpeas botanically as Vigna unguiculata among dry pulses.

Does the U.S. No. 1 table apply to frozen black-eye peas?

No. The table is for the dry Blackeye-bean class. USDA maintains separate standards for frozen field peas and frozen black-eye peas, so the product form and applicable standard must be named.

Does an 18 percent moisture limit prove a lot is U.S. No. 1?

No. Moisture is one factor. The grade also depends on defects, damage, foreign material, stones, class mixing and sample-grade conditions, all measured on a representative lot sample.

Which fields make black-eyed-pea offers comparable?

Vigna unguiculata identity, Blackeye, Browneye or Pinkeye commercial type, dry whole, split, fresh, frozen, canned or seed form, crop year, grade, moisture, damage, defects, foreign material, stones, contrasting and blending classes, insect and odour condition, size and colour, package and lot, quantity, origin, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window and evidence date.

Sources and provenance

Figures retain their source, period and review date. Corroboration is not promoted to primary evidence.

United States Standards for Beans — Blackeye Beans

U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service · Primary USDA July 2023 standard defining the dry Blackeye-bean class and numerical grade-factor limits; a standard is not a lot result · accessed 2026-09-15

Bean Inspection Handbook

U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service · Primary USDA October 2023 inspection handbook describing Blackeye, Browneye and Violeteye or Pinkeye class identity and official inspection procedures · accessed 2026-09-15

CXS 171-1989 — Standard for Certain Pulses

Codex Alimentarius Commission, FAO/WHO · Primary international pulse standard identifying cowpeas as Vigna unguiculata and defining scope, moisture and defect references for whole, shelled and split dry pulses; not a lot certificate · accessed 2026-09-15

Frozen Field Peas and Frozen Black Eye Peas Grades and Standards

U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service · Primary USDA processed-product standard demonstrating that frozen black-eye peas have separate Grade A and Grade B prerequisites and defect tables from dry Blackeye beans · accessed 2026-09-15

USDA Announces Changes to Blackeye Bean Inspection Criteria

U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service · Primary USDA notice recording the 2021 inspection change for insect webbing, filth and clean-cut weevil-bore treatment; not a current lot result · accessed 2026-09-15

Grading systems

National and regional grading frameworks defining tradeable quality.

Country-level production, share of global output, exporter/importer status.

Active and seasonal supply-side risks — weather, disease, geopolitical, regulatory.

Required export and import documents per origin-destination corridor.