How to Read a Basmati Spec Sheet: AGL, Broken %, Moisture and Purity

After reading this you will be able to go through a basmati spec sheet line by line, see which numbers matter for your market, and know what to write into the contract so the rice that lands matches the sample you approved.

What a spec sheet is for

A spec sheet describes the lot the mill will pack for you. It should agree with the pre-shipment sample and with the contract. If a parameter is not written down, you have nothing to claim against when the container arrives.

A typical sheet for milled basmati covers:

• Variety, processing type and crop year
• Average grain length (AGL) and cooking results
• Moisture
• Broken grains
• Damaged and discoloured grains
• Chalky and immature grains
• Purity and admixture
• Foreign matter

Here is how to read each line.

Variety, processing and crop year

The top of the sheet should name the variety (for example Pusa Basmati 1121, 1509, 1401 or a traditional type), the processing (raw, steam, golden sella, white sella) and the crop year.

Get the crop year in writing. Basmati is normally aged before sale. Aged rice cooks drier and elongates better than fresh-milled new crop, and old crop and new crop of the same variety trade at different prices.

Average grain length (AGL)

AGL is the mean length of whole milled kernels before cooking, in millimetres. It is usually the first number a buyer looks at.

• How it is measured. A count of whole grains is measured with a gauge or an image analyser. Broken pieces are left out.
• What it hides. AGL is an average. A lot quoted at 8.30 mm can still contain a share of short grains. If uniformity matters, ask for a minimum length or the share of grains below a cut-off.
• Reference points. India's criteria for notifying a variety as basmati set a minimum average milled length of 6.61 mm and a length-to-breadth ratio of at least 3.5. Extra-long varieties such as 1121 are commonly offered at around 8.2 mm and above. Traditional types are shorter.

Look for cooked length and elongation ratio (cooked length divided by raw length) on the same sheet. These tell you more about how the rice will look on the plate than raw length alone.

New Indian standard

In January 2023 FSSAI notified India's first regulatory standard for basmati, applying from 1 August 2023. It covers brown, milled, parboiled brown and milled parboiled basmati. For milled basmati it sets an average raw length of at least 6.61 mm, cooked length of at least 12 mm, and an elongation ratio of at least 1.7 (1.5 for parboiled). It also caps moisture, damaged grains, uric acid and non-basmati content, and bars artificial colour, polishing agents and artificial fragrance. Expect Indian mills to align their sheets with it over the coming months.

Moisture

Moisture affects net weight, cooking and how the rice survives a long voyage. Wet rice in a sealed container can bring condensation, mould and odour.

The Codex standard for rice sets 15% as the maximum and notes that lower limits may be needed for long transport or hot climates. Basmati export contracts commonly specify less than that. Ask which method was used: oven drying and handheld moisture meters can give different readings.

Broken grains

Broken % is the share by weight of kernel pieces shorter than a set fraction of a whole grain. A common definition is less than three-quarters of the average whole kernel, but contracts vary. Write the definition into yours.

Premium retail packs are usually specified with a low broken allowance. Food-service and lower-priced grades accept more. Breakage rises with over-drying of paddy, aggressive polishing and rough handling, so ask whether the lot has been graded after milling.

Damaged and discoloured grains (D/D)

• Damaged: kernels harmed by insects, heat, moisture or disease.
• Discoloured: yellow, red-streaked, black-tipped or spotted grains.

Mills often report the two together as "D/D" with one maximum. Colour sorters (sortex machines) remove most of these. Ask whether the lot is single or double sortexed.

For sella rice the whole lot is cream or golden by design. Here "discoloured" means grains noticeably darker than the rest.

Chalky and immature grains

A chalky grain has an opaque, floury white patch. It looks dull, breaks more easily and can turn soft in cooking. Immature grains are thin, greenish or underdeveloped.

Parboiling gelatinises the starch and makes the grain translucent, so the chalky line matters most on raw and steam rice.

Purity and admixture

Purity is the share of the declared variety. Admixture is everything else: other basmati varieties and, more seriously, non-basmati long-grain rice. Admixture is hard to see by eye when grain shapes are similar. DNA testing is the standard check.

Three rule sets are useful reference points:

A commercial spec sheet should state a minimum purity for the declared variety. Ask whether it is backed by a DNA test on the actual lot.

Foreign matter

This covers stones, husk, paddy grains, straw and other seeds. The Codex rice standard caps inorganic matter (stones, sand, dust) at 0.1% and other organic matter at 0.5% for milled rice. Good basmati lots are usually far cleaner than these limits. Some buyers also specify paddy grains per kilogram.

How a sheet might look

The figures below show layout only. They are not a standard.

Sample against shipment

The spec sheet is only as good as the sample behind it. Agree a sealed reference sample before you confirm. Keep one, let the mill keep one. If the order is large, appoint an independent surveyor to draw and test samples at stuffing and to seal the container. Then do your own cook test on the shipped lot using the method your customers use.

Before you order

• Variety, processing type and crop year stated in writing
• AGL with method and whether brokens are excluded
• Cooked length and elongation ratio
• Moisture maximum and test method
• Definition and maximum for broken grains
• D/D, chalky and immature limits
• Minimum purity, with DNA test if your market requires it
• Foreign matter limit
• Sealed reference sample held by both sides
• Inspection at loading for larger lots

If you're sourcing basmati, send us the variety, processing type, the spec lines that matter to you, pack size and destination port. We'll come back with a written quote and a matching sample from our partner mills in Haryana.