13

Chapter

Rice Grades
Jarrod Hardke and Terry Siebenmorgen

T
he United States Department of Agriculture chalky kernels, etc. Grades and grade requirements for
(USDA) has established rice grades as U.S. rough rice and milled rice and presented in Tables 13-1
No. 1 through 6, in which sample grade is and 13-2, respectively. Price discounts for milled rice in
based on quality discount factors. These factors include Table 13-3 are a general guide. These tables indicate the
weed seed, red rice, seed mixture, damaged kernels, importance of producing clean, nondamaged rice.
Table 13-1. Grades and grade requirements for the classes of rough rice, USDA, 2009.
Maximum limits of ----
Seeds and heat-damaged kernels Chalky kernels
Heat-
damaged Red rice and
Total kernels and Heat- damaged In medium-
(singly or objectionable damaged kernels (singly In long- or short- Other
combined) seeds kernels or combined grain rice grain rice types†
Number in Number in Number in
Grade 500 grams 500 grams 500 grams Percent Percent Percent Percent Color requirements
U.S. No. 1 4 3 1 0.5 1.0 2.0 1.0 Shall be white or
creamy.
U.S. No. 2 7 5 2 1.5 2.0 4.0 2.0 May be slightly
gray.
U.S. No. 3 10 8 5 2.5 4.0 6.0 3.0 May be light gray.
U.S. No. 4 27 22 15 4.0 6.0 8.0 5.0 May be gray or
slightly rosy.
U.S. No. 5 37 32 25 6.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 May be dark
gray or rosy.

U.S. No. 6 75 75 75 15.0‡ 15.0 15.0 10.0 May be dark

gray or rosy.

U.S. Sample grade shall be rough rice which:

a. does not meet the requirements for any of the grades from U.S. No. 1 to U.S. No. 6 inclusive;
b. contains more than 14.0 percent of moisture;
c. is musty, or sour, or heating;
d. has any commercially objectionable foreign odor; or
e. is otherwise of distinctly low quality.
† These limits do not apply to the class Mixed Rough Rice.
‡ Rice in grade U.S. No. 6 shall contain not more than 6.0 percent of damaged kernels.

Source: United States Department of Agriculture Federal Grain Inspection Service, United States Standards for Rough Rice.

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Table 13-2. Grades and grade requirements for the classes of long-grain milled rice, medium-grain milled
rice, short-grain milled rice, and mixed milled rice, USDA, 2009.
Maximum limits of ----
Seeds and
heat-damaged

Red rice and damaged kernels (singly

kernels (singly Chalky
or combined) kernels Broken kernels Other types‡
and objectionable seeds

Removed by a 5 plate†

Removed by a 6 plate†
Heat-damaged kernels

In medium- or short-

Through a 6 sieve†

Whole and broken

In long-grain rice

Whole kernels
or combined)

grain rice Minimum

Color milling

kernels
requirements requirements
Total

Total
No. in No. in
500 500 Per- Per- Per- Per- Per- Per- Per- Per- Per-
Grade grams grams cent cent cent cent cent cent cent cent cent
U.S. 2 1 0.5 1.0 2.0 4.0 0.04 0.1 0.1 -- 1.0 Shall be white Well milled.
No. 1 or creamy.
U.S. 4 2 1.5 2.0 4.0 7.0 0.06 0.2 0.2 -- 2.0 May be slightly Well milled.
No. 2 gray.
U.S. 7 5 2.5 4.0 6.0 15.0 0.1 0.8 0.5 -- 3.0 May be light Reasonably
No. 3 gray. well milled.
U.S. 20 15 4.0 6.0 8.0 25.0 0.4 1.0 0.7 -- 5.0 May be gray or Reasonably
No. 4 slightly rosy. well milled.
U.S. 30 25 6.0 10.0 10.0 35.0 0.7 3.0 1.0 10.0 -- May be dark Reasonably
No. 5 gray or rosy. well milled.
U.S. 75 75 15.0†† 15.0 15.0 50.0 1.0 4.0 2.0 10.0 -- May be dark Reasonably
No. 6 gray or rosy. well milled.
U.S. Sample grade shall be milled rice of any of these classes which:
a. does not meet the requirements for any of the grades from U.S. No. 1 to U.S. No. 6, inclusive;
b. contains more than 15.0 percent of moisture;
c. is musty or sour, or heating;
d. has any commercially objectionable foreign odor;
e. contains more than 0.1 percent of foreign material;
f. contains two or more live or dead weevils or other insects, insect webbing or insect refuse; or
g. is otherwise of distinctly low quality.
† Plates should be used for southern production rice; and sieves should be used for western production rice, but any device or method which gives
equivalent results may be used.
‡ These limits do not apply to the class Mixed Milled Rice.
†† Grade U.S. No. 6 shall contain not more than 6.0 percent of damaged kernels.

Factors Affecting Rice Grade

Source: United States Department of Agriculture Federal Grain Inspection Service, United States Standards for Milled Rice.

rewetted (e.g., rainfall, heavy dew). Rapid rewetting is a

Grain Moisture Content
key cause for lowered head rice yields. Certain cultivars
may be more susceptible to head rice yield reductions
Rice milling yield may be lower if rice is harvested than others if rice drops below 15 moisture and is
either at very high or low moisture contents. At high rewetted in the field.
moisture contents, many kernels can still be thin and Plant no more rice acreage of one maturity range than
immature and often break during the milling process. you have harvest capacity. The best way to extend
The ends of wet rice kernels grind off and become dust combine capacity is by planting cultivars with differ-
when they are processed. Rice may fissure if it dries to ent maturities. Planting over a longer period helps
below 15 percent moisture content and is rapidly somewhat to spread rice maturity across more days in

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Table 13-3. Price discount estimates for USDA Factors Impacting Rice Milling Yield, for more infor-
grades of milled rice. mation on milling yields.

Foreign Matter
Discount
Grade ($/bushel)
1 -- Foreign matter or trash (i.e., blank kernels, stems,
2 0.05 weed seed) often contains more moisture than grain.
3 0.15 Presence of this material can affect rice price and, ulti-
4 0.30
mately, net profit (Table 13-4). Milling yield is low-
ered by the amount of foreign material in the rough
5 0.45
rice sample. Foreign material contributes to heating
6 0.80 on trucks, blocks air flow in grain storage bins and
Sample 1.25 increases the time and energy required for drying.
Consider cleaning rice that has high foreign matter
the fall and provides a more flexible harvest window. content. Another alternative is marketing rice with
Refer to Chapter 15, Production Factors Impacting high foreign material content separate from cleaner
Rice Milling Yield, for more information on the rice to maximize income.
Table 13-4. Example of foreign material and low
impact of harvest moisture content on milling yields.
Head Rice and Milling Yields milling yield effects on rice price and net profit.

Head rice yield is the weight percentage of rough rice Sample Sample Sample
Description 1 2 3
that remains as “whole rice” (three-fourths kernel or
greater) after complete milling. Environmental condi- Sample weight, grams 162 162 162
tions, such as drought, high nighttime temperatures, Foreign material, grams 0 0 10
low sunlight intensity, disease, inadequate or excessive Head rice weight, grams 89 94 88
nitrogen and draining water early in hot weather, all Brokens weight, grams 24 19 18
intensify stress on rice kernels. The susceptibility of
Milling yield percentage 55/70 58/70 54/65
kernels to develop chalk or other kernel-weakening
features in response to stress differs somewhat Value per hundredweight† $6.48 $6.60 $6.13
among cultivars. Difference in price/cwt -- +$0.12 -$0.35

Milled rice yield is the weight percentage of rough rice Value at 150 bu/A $437.84 $445.95 $414.19
that remains as milled rice (i.e., the sum of head rice
Value difference at 150 bu/A -- +$8.11 -$23.65
and “brokens” after milling). The value of broken
fractions varies with market demand, but Table 13-4 Value at 200 bu/A $583.78 $594.59 $552.25
illustrates that high milling yield and low foreign Value difference at 200 bu/A -- +$10.81 -$42.34
material content may provide considerably more †Prices based on long-grain value of $10.13/cwt for head rice and
income per acre. Refer to Chapter 15, Production $6.03/cwt for brokens.

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