Castor Oil Grade, Identity and Trade Evidence

Editorial evidence reviewedReviewed 2026-09-13Release 2026-09-19-batch-230

Market value

$1.2B

Producing countries tracked

10

Grading systems

1

Active supply risks

6

Trade corridors

5

Latest reviewed evidence

The FAO/WHO JECFA monograph defines food-additive castor oil as fixed oil from Ricinus communis seed, essentially triglyceride of ricinoleic acid. Its reference specifications include specific gravity 0.952–0.966, refractive index 1.477–1.481 at 20 degrees Celsius, acid value no more than 2, hydroxyl value 160–168, saponification value 176–185, iodine value 83–88 and lead no more than 2 milligrams per kilogram. These are food-additive reference specifications, not results for an untested commercial lot, universal industrial grades, supply volumes or prices.

JECFA castor-oil specific-gravity range

0.952

lower bound; upper bound 0.966 · JECFA specification prepared 1983; metals revised 2004

JECFA castor-oil refractive-index range

1.477

n(20,D) lower bound; upper bound 1.481 · JECFA specification prepared 1983; metals revised 2004

JECFA castor-oil acid-value ceiling

2

maximum · JECFA specification prepared 1983; metals revised 2004

JECFA castor-oil hydroxyl-value range

160

lower bound; upper bound 168 · JECFA specification prepared 1983; metals revised 2004

JECFA castor-oil saponification-value range

176

lower bound; upper bound 185 · JECFA specification prepared 1983; metals revised 2004

JECFA castor-oil iodine-value range

83

lower bound; upper bound 88 · JECFA specification prepared 1983; metals revised 2004

JECFA castor-oil lead ceiling

2

milligrams per kilogram, maximum · Metals specification revised at the 63rd JECFA, 2004

Current U.S. hard-candy castor-oil use ceiling

500

parts per million, maximum · 21 CFR 172.876, eCFR current through 2026-09-09

Castor seed, crude oil, refined grades and derivatives stay separate

Kew accepts Ricinus communis L. as the castor-oil plant. The U.S. tariff schedule separately identifies castor oil seeds under 1207.30 and castor oil and its fractions under 1515.30, while later hydrogenation or chemical conversion creates different products and classifications. Atlas retains feedstock, extraction, refining, fractionation and derivative state and does not transfer a seed observation or derivative price to the oil.

Food-additive identity tests do not define every industrial grade

JECFA's INS 1503 monograph defines a pale-yellow or almost colorless viscous fixed oil and provides identity and purity ranges. Those values are useful for food-additive evidence, but an industrial, cosmetic or pharmaceutical contract may invoke a different current standard and tighter or additional tests. Atlas records the named grade, governing specification, method, laboratory, sample and test date rather than calling all material simply castor oil.

Permitted use depends on jurisdiction, category and purpose

The current U.S. rule in 21 CFR 172.876 allows castor oil meeting the named pharmacopeial specification as a release and antisticking agent in hard candy up to 500 parts per million and as a component of protective coatings for vitamin and mineral tablets. Codex GSFA's 2025 view lists INS 1503 with category-specific maximum levels, including 500 milligrams per kilogram for confectionery, 1,000 for food supplements and 2,100 for chewing gum. These permissions are not blanket approval for every market or use; current destination rules and the exact product category remain required.

Composition limits and seed statistics do not establish a delivered price

FAOSTAT records castor oil seed as a primary oil crop, whereas Atlas's castor-oil page concerns the extracted oil and its declared grade. Seed production, harvested area and yield do not directly establish oil extraction yield, refining loss, current inventory or destination value. A delivered estimate still needs permitted current observations for the exact oil grade and process, lot-linked test results, package and quantity, 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 castor seed and castor oil the same traded product?

No. Seed is the agricultural feedstock and oil is the extracted product. Extraction yield, refining, quality tests, packaging and tariff classification differ, so seed observations cannot be presented as oil values without a documented conversion basis.

Does meeting the JECFA monograph prove every castor-oil grade is acceptable?

No. The monograph supplies food-additive identity and purity references. Industrial, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and destination-specific contracts may require different or additional standards and current regulatory verification.

Does the 500-parts-per-million U.S. limit describe oil purity?

No. It is a use ceiling for castor oil as a release and antisticking agent in hard candy under 21 CFR 172.876, not a composition test or a general maximum for other categories.

Which fields make castor-oil offers comparable?

Ricinus communis source, extraction and refining process, origin, exact grade and intended use, appearance, specific gravity, refractive index, acid, hydroxyl, saponification and iodine values, moisture, fatty-acid profile where required, metals and contaminants, method-linked results, package and lot, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window and evidence date.