Wheat Flour Standards, Quality and Trade

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

Market value

$42B

Producing countries tracked

4

Grading systems

1

Active supply risks

3

Trade corridors

3

Latest reviewed evidence

The figures below are current composition and granulation requirements from the FAO/WHO Codex wheat-flour standard and the U.S. standard of identity for flour. They describe defined wheat-flour products and regulatory methods, not generic flour production, current availability, a physical offer or a delivered market price.

Codex wheat flour moisture maximum

15.5

percent by mass · CXS 152-1985, amended 2023

Codex wheat flour protein minimum

7

percent on dry-weight basis · CXS 152-1985 Annex, amended 2023

Codex wheat flour granulation passage

98

percent through 212 micrometre sieve · CXS 152-1985 Annex, amended 2023

United States flour moisture maximum

15

percent · 21 CFR 137.105, current through 2026-09-10

Wheat, whole-wheat, durum and other flours are separate products

Codex CXS 152 applies to flour from common or club wheat for direct human consumption and excludes durum products, whole meal, whole-wheat flour, semolina, brewing adjuncts and industrial flour. The U.S. standard similarly defines flour as cleaned wheat other than durum or red durum with bran and germ removed to a stated extent. Atlas keeps grain species, milling stream, extraction and whole-grain status explicit before comparing quality or trade evidence.

Protein, moisture, ash and granulation need their basis

Codex sets a 15.5 percent moisture maximum, a 7 percent minimum protein on a dry-weight basis and at least 98 percent passage through a 212 micrometre sieve. It leaves ash to buyer preference. The U.S. identity standard sets a 15 percent moisture maximum and links ash to protein on a moisture-free basis. Atlas preserves the governing standard, analytical method, wet or dry basis and buyer specification rather than mixing numbers from different systems.

Treatment, enrichment and intended use travel with the lot

A flour record should identify bleaching or maturing treatment, permitted enzymes or flour-treatment agents, enrichment or fortification, allergen and food-safety controls, microbiology and contaminants, packing material and intended use. Bread, pastry, noodle, biscuit and high-ratio-cake applications can require materially different protein, ash, starch damage, falling number, rheology and additive limits even when the grain name is the same.

A physical flour price requires current product and route evidence

Standards do not determine a live delivered price. A comparable physical offer needs the exact flour identity and use, grain class, extraction, protein and moisture basis, ash and granulation, treatment and enrichment, certification and laboratory evidence, package, lot, quantity, origin and mill, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window and current permitted observations. Atlas withholds a physical estimate when those fields are missing.

Questions procurement teams ask

Does the Codex wheat-flour standard cover whole-wheat or durum flour?

No. CXS 152 excludes whole meal, whole-wheat flour, durum-wheat products, semolina and several industrial or specially treated uses. Those products require their own identity and specification.

What moisture limit does Codex set for wheat flour?

CXS 152 sets 15.5 percent by mass as the maximum and notes that lower limits may be needed for particular climates, transport durations and storage conditions.

Is ash fixed by the Codex wheat-flour standard?

No. The Annex lists ash as buyer preference and recommends that users specify the appropriate limit and analytical method. Atlas therefore never invents a universal ash grade.

Which fields make physical flour offers comparable?

Grain species and class, wheat or other flour identity, whole-grain and extraction basis, intended use, protein and moisture basis, ash, granulation, treatment, enrichment, laboratory and food-safety evidence, mill and origin, pack, lot, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window and evidence date.