Pomelo

Pomelo, also called pummelo or Shaddock, is not an interchangeable name for grapefruit. Fresh commercial lots require Citrus maxima identity or a supported hybrid, named variety or commercial type, maturity, quality class, defects, diameter, weight or count basis, origin, packing and lot evidence. Atlas keeps whole fresh pomelo separate from juice, canned segments and industrial-processing fruit and retains treatment, package, quantity and delivery terms before comparing offers.

Editorial evidence reviewedReviewed 2026-09-18Release 2026-09-19-batch-230
Market value
$1.8B
Producing countries tracked
9
Grading systems
1
Active supply risks
3
Trade corridors
3
Latest reviewed evidence

UNECE FFV-14 applies to fresh pummelos and hybrids and sets minimum total soluble solids of 8 degrees Brix and a 100-millimetre minimum diameter, with a 98-millimetre absolute minimum inside the size tolerance. Codex CXS 214 uses diameter and weight size codes from code 0 above 170 millimetres or 1,900 grams to code 7 at 100–118 millimetres or 400–700 grams. Both standards allow a 5 percent Extra-Class quality tolerance and 10 percent for Class I, Class II and size. These are classification references, not inspection results for an offered lot, current availability or price.

UNECE pummelo minimum sugar content
8
degrees Brix, minimum total soluble solids · UNECE FFV-14, 2023 edition
UNECE pummelo minimum diameter
100
millimetres maximum equatorial diameter, minimum · UNECE FFV-14, 2023 edition
UNECE pummelo size-tolerance absolute minimum
98
millimetres maximum equatorial diameter, absolute minimum within tolerance · UNECE FFV-14, 2023 edition
Codex pummelo size-code 0 weight threshold
1900
grams per fruit, greater than · Codex CXS 214-1999
Codex pummelo size-code 1 lower weight
1701
grams per fruit, lower bound; upper bound 1900 · Codex CXS 214-1999
Codex pummelo size-code 7 lower weight
400
grams per fruit, lower bound; upper bound 700 · Codex CXS 214-1999
Codex Extra-Class quality tolerance
5
percent by number or weight, total · Codex CXS 214-1999
Codex all-class size tolerance
10
percent by number or weight · Codex CXS 214-1999

Citrus maxima identity comes before a pomelo grade

Kew accepts Citrus maxima in Rutaceae, while UNECE and Codex cover pummelos or Shaddock and identified hybrids supplied fresh. Atlas retains accepted species evidence, named variety or commercial type, hybrid identity where relevant, production origin and lot identity rather than treating every large citrus fruit sold as pomelo as equivalent.

Pomelo, grapefruit and sweetie hybrids stay separate

Pomelo or pummelo is Citrus maxima, while grapefruit and named pomelo-derived hybrids have different identities, characteristics and market specifications. A trade name alone cannot resolve the species or hybrid. Atlas therefore preserves the supplier declaration, variety, botanical or registry evidence, flesh and rind characteristics and lot documents instead of merging pomelo, grapefruit and sweetie observations.

Whole fresh fruit and processed citrus are separate products

UNECE FFV-14, OECD's citrus guidance and Codex CXS 214 cover fruit supplied fresh and exclude fruit for industrial processing. Whole fresh pomelo, peeled segments, canned fruit, juice, purée and concentrate therefore retain separate product identities, mass or volume bases, processing records, package forms, shelf-life evidence and inspection results.

Maturity, class, defects and size require lot inspection

UNECE requires citrus fruit to be intact, free from bruising or extensive healed cuts, sound, clean, practically free from pests and pest damage, and sufficiently developed and mature. Pomelo maturity includes the stated soluble-solids threshold, but an actual result still needs a representative sample and dated method. Extra, Class I and Class II have distinct defect allowances, while diameter, weight or count sizing must retain its stated method and measured distribution.

A size code or maturity threshold does not establish a delivered pomelo price

A UNECE or Codex size code, class or maturity threshold does not establish an offered lot's actual identity, quality, availability, transaction value or delivered cost. A physical comparison still needs permitted current observations for the exact species or hybrid, variety, class, measured size and maturity, quality and treatment results, origin, crop and packing dates, package, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window, cold-chain and route costs, and information vintage. Atlas withholds a physical estimate when those observations or usage rights are missing.

Questions procurement teams ask

Are pomelo and grapefruit the same commodity?

No. Pomelo or pummelo is associated with Citrus maxima, while grapefruit and named hybrids have separate identities. Atlas requires the stated species, hybrid and variety evidence before comparing lots.

Does 8 degrees Brix prove a pomelo lot meets every fresh-market requirement?

No. It is the UNECE minimum total-soluble-solids reference for pummelos. The actual lot still needs representative maturity testing plus class, defect, size, treatment, origin, packing and lot evidence.

Can a pomelo size code be used without its measurement basis?

No. Codex pairs codes with both weight and diameter ranges, while UNECE permits diameter or count sizing. The code, method, range, package count and measured distribution must travel together.

Are fruit below 100 millimetres standard pomelo trade sizes?

Codex excludes fruit below 100 millimetres or 400 grams from its size table. UNECE sets 100 millimetres as the minimum diameter and permits an absolute minimum of 98 millimetres only within its size tolerance. A lot result still requires measurement.

Which fields make pomelo offers comparable?

Accepted species or supported hybrid, variety or commercial type, fresh or processed form, maturity and Brix result, class and defect results, diameter, weight or count basis, treatment and residue evidence, origin, crop and packing dates, package and lot, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window, cold-chain and evidence date.

Sources and provenance

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

UNECE Standard FFV-14 concerning the marketing and commercial quality control of citrus fruit
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe · Primary 2023 UNECE standard defining fresh-pummelo scope, maturity, minimum size, classes, tolerances, presentation and marking; it excludes industrial-processing fruit and does not certify an offered lot · accessed 2026-09-18
CXS 214-1999 — Standard for Pummelos
Codex Alimentarius Commission, FAO/WHO · Primary Codex standard defining fresh-pummelo minimum requirements, classes, diameter and weight size codes, tolerances, presentation and marking; it excludes industrial-processing fruit and does not certify an offered lot · accessed 2026-09-18
International Standards for Fruit and Vegetables — Citrus Fruits
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development · Primary OECD explanatory brochure interpreting the international citrus standard, including pummelos and Shaddock, with inspection photographs and guidance; it supports interpretation but does not certify a lot · accessed 2026-09-18
Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr. — Plants of the World Online
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · Primary botanical authority accepting Citrus maxima in Rutaceae; species acceptance does not establish variety, hybrid, origin, maturity, class or lot identity · accessed 2026-09-18
Grading systems
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National and regional grading frameworks defining tradeable quality.
Producers
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Country-level production, share of global output, exporter/importer status.
Supply risks
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Active and seasonal supply-side risks — weather, disease, geopolitical, regulatory.
Documentation
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Required export and import documents per origin-destination corridor.