Canadian Dry Beans Specifications

Buying dry beans for export is easier when buyers and suppliers use the same specification language. This page explains how Canadian dry bean specifications are typically described for bulk and container programs, including grade basis, moisture, purity, defects, sizing, and lot-specific COA support.

What Canadian dry bean specifications usually include

For most export programs, bean specifications have two layers. The first is the official Canadian grade basis, which follows the Canadian Grain Commission’s grading framework for beans. The second is the commercial contract specification, where buyer and seller agree the shipment details that matter for the program, such as moisture target, purity, defects, sizing, packaging, and destination requirements. Beans on export are graded under the CGC primary and export grade determination tables, while commercial supply programs may add end-use or buyer-specific requirements on top of that basis.

That distinction matters. A statutory grade and a commercial export specification are related, but they are not always identical. A buyer may purchase on an agreed grade basis and still require additional contract terms for moisture, cleanliness, size, splits, packaging, or destination documentation. Bennett’s Beans already frames export supply this way on its site: contract-based volumes, lot-confirmed specs, and shipment coordination.

Official Canadian grade basis

In Canada, the CGC Official Grain Grading Guide is the reference used by grain inspectors for grains, oilseeds, and pulses, including beans. For beans, the grade outcome depends on the applicable class and the relevant primary and export grade determination tables. Grade language can therefore include the class name as part of the grade description.

Export Documents

Official Canadian grade basis for dry beans under the Canadian grading framework

Commercial contract specification

Commercial bean programs often go beyond grade alone. Buyers may ask for an agreed moisture range, minimum purity, maximum foreign material, damage tolerances, splits, size criteria, packaging format, crop basis, or other lot-specific quality points relevant to their production or resale program. On the BennettsBeans quote workflow, the key inputs already include bean type, target spec, volume, packaging, destination, and preferred Incoterm.

In practical terms, the grade basis tells you the official Canadian framework. The commercial spec tells you what the buyer actually needs the lot to perform like.

Key dry bean specification terms buyers should understand

Moisture

Moisture is one of the first items buyers review because it affects quality, safety, and storage. The Canadian Grain Commission notes that moisture content is important for grain quality, safety, and storage, and that grain that is too moist is susceptible to deterioration. Moisture testing is performed on samples free of dockage.

For commercial export business, moisture is often handled as an agreed contract item rather than a vague quality statement. Where the buyer does not provide a separate internal standard, Bennett’s Beans can work from an agreed commercial moisture basis such as 14–16%, subject to bean type, lot condition, end use, and destination requirements.

Purity, foreign material, and dockage

These terms are often used loosely in trade conversations, but they do not all mean the same thing. Under the CGC framework, dockage is material intermixed with grain that must and can be separated before grade is assigned, and it is assessed and recorded to the nearest 0.1%. CGC also distinguishes foreign material as material other than beans or split beans not removed in cleaning.

For export shipments, commercially clean has a specific meaning. The CGC states that export shipments are considered commercially clean when they contain no dockage material.

In commercial quoting, buyers usually want the practical answer: how clean is the lot, what foreign material tolerance applies, and whether the shipment is being supplied on a commercially clean basis.

Defects and damage

“Defects” can cover several grading factors, including damage, contrasting classes, heated/rotted/mouldy kernels, off-colour issues, cracked seed coats, and other visible or functional quality concerns depending on the program. CGC grading factors for beans include damage, colour, contrasting classes, foreign material, splits, stones, odour, sclerotinia, excreta, and more. Damage is treated as a major grading factor.

For buyers, the important question is not only whether the beans are saleable, but whether the defect profile fits the intended application. That is why contract specs often state defect limits separately from the grade basis.

Sizing and count

Some buyers purchase on official grade and appearance only. Others also need size-related control, such as screen size, count per 100 grams, or other agreed sizing language. The CGC’s bean special analyses framework allows samples to be analyzed for additional factors when requested, and the shipper indicates which factors are to be analyzed and which sieves to use.

That makes sizing a very practical commercial specification item. If uniformity matters for canning, packing, retail presentation, or process yield, sizing should be written into the quote request instead of being assumed.

Colour and visual appearance

Colour is part of the CGC grading framework for beans, and the guide evaluates the cleaned sample against standard descriptions such as good natural colour, reasonably good colour, fairly good colour, and off-colour.

For export trade, colour is not just cosmetic. It affects buyer acceptance, line consistency, and the commercial suitability of the lot for different end uses.

Splits and cracked seed coats

Splits and cracked seed coats can matter even when the official grade remains acceptable, especially for buyers using beans in further processing, food manufacturing, or branded retail packs. The CGC provides special analyses for split beans and identifies cracked seed coats as a separate analytical factor when requested.

If splits or seed coat integrity matter for the program, they should be written directly into the commercial spec and confirmed lot by lot.

Lot-specific certificate of analysis for Canadian dry bean export shipments

What a lot-specific COA usually helps confirm

A lot-specific COA is where the commercial specification becomes practical. Instead of relying only on broad product claims, the buyer receives lot-based confirmation for the shipment actually being offered.

Depending on the program, a lot-specific COA or pre-shipment quality sheet may help confirm agreed items such as moisture, cleanliness, foreign material, damage profile, splits, sizing, or other contract points. This fits the BennettsBeans positioning already visible on the export page, where supply is described as lot-confirmed rather than generic.

Food Manufacturing

Canadian Adzuki Beans

Ideal for confectionery, red bean paste, and ingredient applications.

Canadian Adzuki Beans Spec Download

Canadian Black Beans

Consistent color and performance for canning and ready meals.

Canadian Black Beans Spec Download

Canadian Cranberry Beans

Creamy texture for gourmet canning and Mediterranean dishes.

Canadian Cranberry Beans Spec Download

Why buyers should not rely on one number alone

A common mistake in dry bean buying is reducing specification review to one number, usually moisture. In practice, moisture is only one part of the picture. Grade basis, cleanliness, foreign material, damage, colour, splits, size, packaging, and destination compliance can all affect whether the lot fits the program. The CGC grading system itself works through multiple grading factors and export grade tables rather than a single quality variable.

Dry bean quality factors beyond moisture for export specification review

What can vary by buyer, market, or destination

Not every bean program needs the same spec structure. The final contract basis may vary by bean type, end use, buyer QA standard, packaging format, and destination market. CFIA states that export requirements depend on destination-country conditions and should be confirmed with the importer and the competent foreign authorities before full-scale production for export.

So even when two buyers request the same bean type, the commercial specification may still differ because the market, packing logic, or documentation requirement is different.

How Bennett’s Beans works with specifications

Bennett’s Beans supports buyers who already have an internal specification and buyers who need help defining one for quotation. For the fastest quote, the site currently asks buyers to provide bean type, target spec, volume, packaging, destination, and preferred Incoterm. That is the right starting point for building an accurate commercial offer.

If you already work with a written specification, send it with your inquiry. If you do not, the quote can still be structured around the essential commercial points: bean type, grade basis, moisture target, cleanliness, defect limits, size requirements if needed, packaging format, shipment window, and destination.

Canadian Pinto Beans

Strong performance for Tex-Mex and industrial retort applications.

Canadian Pinto Beans Spec Download

Canadian White Kidney Beans

Popular for Mediterranean recipes and canning lines.

Canadian White Kidney Beans Spec Download

Frequently asked questions

Is Canadian grade the same as the full buyer specification?

Not always. Canadian grade provides the official grading framework, but export contracts may also include moisture target, purity, foreign material, defects, splits, size, packaging, and destination-specific conditions.

What does “commercially clean” mean for bean exports?

For beans on export, the CGC states that commercially clean shipments contain no dockage material.

Why is moisture important in dry bean specifications?

Moisture affects grain quality, safety, and storage, and overly moist grain is more susceptible to deterioration.

Can sizing or split tolerance be included in a bean specification?

Yes. Additional analytical factors can be requested, and commercial buyers often include sizing or split limits when those points matter for the intended application.

What information should I send when requesting a quote?

Send the bean type, target specification, volume, packaging format, destination, and preferred Incoterm. That is already the quoting logic used on the Bennetts Beans contact page.

Request a Quote for Canadian Dry Beans

If you are sourcing Canadian dry beans for import, distribution, food manufacturing, or a private-label program, send your target specification with your inquiry. The clearer the specification, the faster the quote can be matched to the right lot, packaging format, and shipment basis.