Cocoa Powder Market Data, Composition and Trade

Editorial evidence reviewedReviewed 2026-09-11Release 2026-09-19-batch-230

Producing countries tracked

11

Grading systems

3

Active supply risks

5

Trade corridors

6

Latest reviewed evidence

The figures below are current requirements from the FAO/WHO Codex Standard for Cocoa Powders (Cocoas) and Dry Mixtures of Cocoa and Sugars, CXS 105-1981, amended in 2025. The standard defines identity, composition and labeling boundaries; it does not establish current lot availability, a physical offer, a futures value or a live delivered cocoa-powder price.

Cocoa powder and dry mixture moisture maximum

7

percent by mass · CXS 105-1981, amended 2025

Cocoa powder cocoa-butter minimum

20

percent by mass on a dry-matter basis · CXS 105-1981, amended 2025

Fat-reduced cocoa powder cocoa-butter minimum

10

percent by mass on a dry-matter basis · CXS 105-1981, amended 2025; below 20 percent

Sweetened cocoa or drinking chocolate cocoa-powder minimum

25

percent by mass · CXS 105-1981, amended 2025

Chocolate powder cocoa-powder minimum

32

percent by mass · CXS 105-1981, amended 2025; 29 percent on dry-matter basis

Cocoa powder, fat-reduced powder and sweetened mixtures stay separate

CXS 105-1981 defines cocoa powder products as cocoa cake transformed into powder. Cocoa powder contains at least 20 percent cocoa butter on a dry-matter basis; fat-reduced cocoa powder contains at least 10 but less than 20 percent; and highly fat-reduced cocoa powder contains less than 10 percent. Sweetened cocoa, drinking chocolate, cocoa mixes, cocoa-flavoured mixes and chocolate powder are separate sugar-mixture identities. Atlas retains powder class, mixture identity and ingredient basis before comparing quality, price or trade records.

Moisture and cocoa-butter results need explicit bases

The current Codex standard caps moisture at 7 percent by mass. Its cocoa-butter thresholds are stated on a dry-matter basis and define the three cocoa-powder classes. Atlas keeps the named product, result, analytical basis, sample, method, laboratory, certificate and test date together; a cocoa-butter percentage without its dry-matter basis and product identity is not treated as comparable evidence.

Mixture names depend on the cocoa-powder share

Sweetened cocoa, sweetened cocoa powder and drinking chocolate contain at least 25 percent cocoa powder. Sweetened cocoa mix or sweetened mixture with cocoa contains at least 20 percent, while a lower share is named cocoa-flavoured mix. Chocolate powder contains at least 32 percent cocoa powder, corresponding to 29 percent on a dry-matter basis. The same names may carry fat-reduced or highly fat-reduced qualifiers according to the underlying powder class. Atlas preserves the formulation, ingredient declaration and basis instead of collapsing mixtures into cocoa powder.

A composition standard is not a delivered physical price

Codex requirements establish identity, composition and labeling, not current availability or price. A delivered cocoa-powder price still requires exact powder or mixture class, origin and production vintage, current permitted physical observations, analytical and safety results, lot quantity, package, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window, freight and information vintage. Atlas withholds unsupported physical pricing when those fields or usage rights are missing and never substitutes cocoa-bean futures, cocoa liquor, cake or butter values.

Questions procurement teams ask

How does Codex distinguish cocoa-powder classes?

Cocoa powder has at least 20 percent cocoa butter on a dry-matter basis; fat-reduced powder has at least 10 but less than 20 percent; highly fat-reduced powder has less than 10 percent.

What is the Codex moisture maximum for cocoa powder and dry cocoa mixtures?

CXS 105-1981 sets a maximum of 7 percent by mass. The product identity, sample and current analysis method remain attached to the result.

Are cocoa powder, drinking chocolate and chocolate powder interchangeable?

No. Drinking chocolate is a dry cocoa-and-sugar mixture with at least 25 percent cocoa powder, while chocolate powder contains at least 32 percent cocoa powder. Pure powder classes are defined separately by cocoa-butter content.

Which fields make physical cocoa-powder offers comparable?

Powder or mixture class, cake and processing origin where available, alkalization or treatment, cocoa-butter and moisture results with analytical basis, sugar or sweetener share and ingredients where applicable, particle and colour specification, safety evidence, production and packing dates, lot, package, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window and evidence date.