Thyme Market Data, Quality Standards and Trade

Editorial evidence reviewedReviewed 2026-09-10Release 2026-09-19-batch-230

Market value

$175M

Producing countries tracked

4

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 Thyme CXS 328-2017, amended in 2021 and 2022. The standard defines quality and compliance boundaries; it does not establish current lot availability, a physical offer or a live delivered thyme price.

Dried-thyme moisture maximum

12

percent by mass · CXS 328-2017, amended 2022

Dried-thyme total ash maximum

12

percent by mass on dry basis · CXS 328-2017, amended 2022

Dried-thyme acid-insoluble ash maximum

3.5

percent by mass on dry basis · CXS 328-2017, amended 2022

Dried-thyme volatile oil minimum

1

millilitres per 100 grams on dry basis · CXS 328-2017, amended 2022

Extraneous vegetable matter maximum

0.5

percent by mass · CXS 328-2017, amended 2022

Visible mould maximum

1

percent by mass · CXS 328-2017, amended 2022

Whole, crushed and ground thyme are separate styles

CXS 328-2017 defines dried thyme from the leaves and flowers of suitable Thymus species and recognizes whole or intact, crushed or rubbed, and ground styles. Whole material preserves leaf, flower and visible-defect evidence; crushing changes particle distribution; grinding removes much of that visual identity and adds particle-size and adulteration concerns. Atlas keeps species or blend, style and processing history explicit before comparing quality, crop, price or trade records.

Moisture, ash and volatile oil use named analytical bases

The current Codex standard sets a 12 percent moisture maximum, a 12 percent total-ash maximum on a dry basis, a 3.5 percent acid-insoluble-ash maximum on a dry basis and a 1.0 millilitre per 100 gram minimum volatile-oil content on a dry basis. The product should retain characteristic odour and flavour associated with constituents such as thymol, carvacrol and linalool and be free from foreign odour, flavour and mustiness. Atlas retains the sample, style, basis, test method and laboratory context with each result.

Plant matter, mould and infestation remain separate defect signals

Codex limits extraneous vegetable matter and foreign matter to 0.5 percent each, visible mould and insect-damaged leaves or flowers to 1.0 percent each, and dead insects, insect fragments and rodent contamination to 1.0 percent by mass. Live insects are not permitted, and mammalian excreta has a 1.0 milligram per kilogram maximum. Atlas does not collapse those observations into an unsupported premium, clean or export-grade label; each inspection result, method, date and certificate context remains attached to the lot.

A quality standard is not a delivered physical price

Codex requirements establish identity and quality boundaries, not current availability or price. A delivered thyme price still requires a defined species or blend and style, current permitted physical observations, origin and harvest, treatment and 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 whole, crushed and ground dried thyme interchangeable trade products?

No. They are separate styles with different visual identity, particle and adulteration risks. The Thymus species or blend, style and processing history must remain explicit.

What is the Codex moisture maximum for dried thyme?

CXS 328-2017 sets a maximum moisture content of 12 percent by mass. The sample, product style and test method must remain attached to the result.

What is the minimum volatile-oil content for dried thyme?

CXS 328-2017 sets a minimum of 1.0 millilitre per 100 grams on a dry basis. Atlas preserves the dry-basis wording, analytical method and laboratory context.

Which fields make physical thyme offers comparable?

Thymus species or blend, whole, crushed or ground style, colour and sensory condition, plant and foreign matter, mould and infestation findings, moisture, ash and volatile-oil basis, microbiology and residues, treatment, origin and harvest, drying and packing dates, lot, package, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window and evidence date.