White Pepper Market Data, Grades and Trade

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

Market value

$1.4B

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 Black, White and Green Peppers CXS 326-2017, amended in 2022. The standard defines white-pepper identity, style, grade, physical and chemical boundaries; it does not establish current lot availability, certify a shipment or provide a live delivered white-pepper price.

Whole white pepper Grade I bulk-density minimum

600

grams per litre · CXS 326-2017, amended 2022

Whole white pepper Grade I light-berry maximum

1

percent by mass · CXS 326-2017, amended 2022

Whole white pepper Grade I black-berry maximum

5

percent by mass · CXS 326-2017, amended 2022

Ground white pepper moisture maximum

13

percent by mass · CXS 326-2017, amended 2022

Ground white pepper piperine minimum

4

percent by mass on dry basis · CXS 326-2017, amended 2022

Ground white pepper acid-insoluble ash maximum

0.3

percent by mass on dry basis · CXS 326-2017, amended 2022

Pericarp removal defines white pepper but does not define its grade

CXS 326-2017 defines white pepper as dried berries of Piper nigrum L. after the pericarp has been removed. The permitted processing path may include threshing, sieving, soaking, washing, blanching, drying, decorticating, grading, crushing or grinding. White pepper may be whole, cracked or crushed, or ground, and each form still needs a separate class or grade and inspection record. Atlas retains cultivar, pericarp-removal method, processing history, style and grade before comparing quality, crop, price or trade records.

Whole white-pepper grades change density and defect limits

Whole white pepper is approximately 2 to 6 millimetres in diameter. Codex requires minimum bulk density of 600 grams per litre for Grades I and II and 550 for Grade III. Grade I caps light berries at 1 percent, black berries at 5 percent, broken berries at 2 percent, mouldy berries at 1 percent and foreign matter at 0.1 percent by mass. Atlas keeps each defect category, grade, sample, inspection method and date distinct instead of treating grade as one unexplained score.

Ground white pepper uses its own chemical specification

For ground white pepper, CXS 326-2017 caps moisture at 13 percent, total ash at 3.5 percent, crude fibre at 6.5 percent and acid-insoluble ash at 0.3 percent on the stated bases. It requires at least 6 percent non-volatile ether extract, 0.7 millilitres per 100 grams volatile oil and 4 percent piperine on a dry basis. The volatile-oil determination should follow grinding immediately. Atlas preserves style, basis, sample, method, laboratory and test date with each result.

A composition standard is not a delivered physical price

Codex requirements establish identity and quality boundaries, not current availability or price. A delivered white-pepper price still requires a defined cultivar where known, style and grade, current permitted physical observations, origin and harvest, processing 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

What makes white pepper different from black pepper under Codex?

Both come from Piper nigrum L., but white pepper is obtained from dried berries after removing the pericarp, while black pepper retains an unbroken pericarp. Their physical and chemical requirements also differ.

Are whole and ground white pepper interchangeable specifications?

No. Whole product has grade-specific density and berry-defect limits, while ground product has a separate chemical table. Style and grade must remain explicit.

What are the Codex piperine and moisture limits for ground white pepper?

CXS 326-2017 requires at least 4 percent piperine on a dry basis and caps moisture at 13 percent by mass. The sample, analytical basis and test date remain attached to the result.

Which fields make physical white-pepper offers comparable?

Piper nigrum identity, cultivar where known, pericarp-removal and processing history, whole, cracked or ground style, grade, diameter and bulk density where relevant, each berry and foreign-matter defect, moisture, ash, extract, volatile oil, fibre and piperine basis, safety evidence, origin and harvest, lot, package, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window and evidence date.