Tea (Black)

Black tea is the most consumed tea globally, accounting for ~78% of total tea production at approximately 2.3 million MT annually. Major producers include India, Kenya, China, and Sri Lanka, with significant consumption in Western markets and growing demand in emerging economies. Physical trade is concentrated in auction markets (Colombo, Mombasa, Kolkata) and direct B2B contracts; pricing remains volatile due to weather, currency fluctuations, and input cost pressures.

Structured Atlas recordRelease 2026-09-19-batch-230
Global production
2.3M MT
2023/24
Market value
$5.8B
Producing countries tracked
9
Grading systems
1
Active supply risks
3
Trade corridors
3

Structured market record

Atlas renders the supported agricultural record and its indexed evidence lanes. Values keep their stored scope and vintage; reference markets are not physical delivered prices.

HS classifications

Indexed evidence lanes

These are compact previews of the underlying Atlas records. Open each section for its complete evidence set and stored detail.

Leading origins
  • India · rank 1
  • Kenya · rank 2
  • China · rank 3
  • Sri Lanka · rank 4
Grading frameworks
  • Tea Board of India (TBI) & International Standards Organization (ISO 3720)
Supply risks
  • Monsoon and drought variability · high
  • Labor cost inflation and availability · high
  • Currency volatility and geopolitical instability · medium
Trade documents
  • Certificate of Origin
  • Phytosanitary Certificate
  • EU Organic Certification (where applicable)
  • FDA Food Facility Registration & Hazard Analysis
Reference markets
  • Colombo Tea Auction (CTC Leaf Grade) · Colombo Tea Auction, Sri Lanka
  • Mombasa Tea Auction (Kenyan Orthodox) · Mombasa Tea Auction, Kenya
  • Kolkata Tea Auction (Assam CTC) · Kolkata Tea Auction, India
Grading systems
View →
National and regional grading frameworks defining tradeable quality.
Producers
View →
Country-level production, share of global output, exporter/importer status.
Supply risks
View →
Active and seasonal supply-side risks — weather, disease, geopolitical, regulatory.
Documentation
View →
Required export and import documents per origin-destination corridor.