Nutmeg Market Data, Quality Standards and Trade

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

Market value

$120M

Producing countries tracked

9

Grading systems

1

Active supply risks

3

Trade corridors

3

Latest reviewed evidence

The figures below are current requirements from the FAO/WHO Codex Standard for Dried Seeds — Nutmeg, CXS 352-2022, amended in 2025. The standard defines identity, style, quality and compliance boundaries; it does not establish current lot availability, a physical offer or a live delivered nutmeg price.

Whole and broken shelled nutmeg moisture maximum

10

percent by mass · CXS 352-2022, amended 2025

Ground nutmeg moisture maximum

8

percent by mass · CXS 352-2022, amended 2025

Nutmeg total ash maximum

3

percent by mass on dry basis · CXS 352-2022, amended 2025

Whole nutmeg volatile oil minimum

6.5

millilitres per 100 grams on dry basis · CXS 352-2022, amended 2025

Broken nutmeg volatile oil minimum

6

millilitres per 100 grams on dry basis · CXS 352-2022, amended 2025

Ground nutmeg volatile oil minimum

5

millilitres per 100 grams on dry basis · CXS 352-2022, amended 2025

Inshell, shelled, broken and ground nutmeg are separate styles

CXS 352-2022 defines dried nutmeg as the seed of Myristica fragrans Houtt. after suitable development and post-harvest operations such as stripping, drying, sorting, cracking, grading or grinding. The four styles are whole inshell, whole shelled, broken seed and ground or powdered seed. Whole product may be sized by count per weight, weight or diameter. Atlas keeps shell condition, style, size method and processing history explicit before comparing quality, crop, price or trade records.

Style changes moisture and volatile-oil evidence

For shelled product, the current Codex standard sets a 10 percent moisture maximum for whole and broken nutmeg and an 8 percent maximum for ground product. Total ash is capped at 3 percent, acid-insoluble ash at 0.5 percent and water-insoluble ash at 1.5 percent on a dry basis across styles. Minimum volatile oil is 6.5 millilitres per 100 grams for whole, 6.0 for broken and 5.0 for ground product. Atlas retains style, shell basis, sample, method and laboratory context with each result.

Shell condition, infestation and sizing defects stay distinct

The Codex physical table separates inshell and shelled seed from broken and ground product. It records extraneous and foreign matter, visible mould, insect-defiled material, dead insects, insect fragments, rodent contamination, live insects, excreta, mace pieces, off-size material and broken or damaged whole nutmeg. For example, whole inshell and shelled nutmeg have 5 percent maxima for visible mould and insect-defiled material and zero live insects. N/A means not evaluated, not zero. Atlas preserves the inspection, style, method, date and certificate context for each observation.

A quality standard is not a delivered physical price

Codex requirements establish identity and quality boundaries, not current availability or price. A delivered nutmeg price still requires a defined shell condition, style and size basis, current permitted physical observations, origin and harvest, analytical results, lot quantity, package, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window, freight and information vintage. Atlas keeps any physical-price output unsupported when those fields or usage rights are missing.

Questions procurement teams ask

Are inshell, shelled, broken and ground nutmeg interchangeable?

No. They are separate Codex styles with different visible identity, defect evidence and some different chemical limits. Shell condition and style must remain explicit.

What are the Codex moisture limits for nutmeg?

CXS 352-2022 sets a 10 percent maximum for whole and broken shelled nutmeg and an 8 percent maximum for ground or powdered product. The style, sample and test method remain attached to the result.

How do volatile-oil minimums change by nutmeg style?

The current minimums on a dry basis are 6.5 millilitres per 100 grams for whole nutmeg, 6.0 for broken and 5.0 for ground or powdered product.

Which fields make physical nutmeg offers comparable?

Myristica fragrans identity, inshell, shelled, broken or ground style, size or count basis, sensory and shell condition, mould, insects, contamination, mace, off-size and damage findings, moisture, ash and volatile-oil basis, microbiology, mycotoxin and residue evidence, origin and harvest, drying and packing dates, lot, package, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window and evidence date.