W180 — King of Cashews
170–180 kernels per pound • The largest commercially graded cashew kernel
Typical price
$8.10/lb FOB
India FOB. ~50% premium over W320 baseline.
Packaging
22.68 kg vacuum tins, two per 25 kg carton. CO₂ or N₂ flushing standard for premium SKUs.
MOQ
1 MT typical; sub-MT sample lots available from select premium processors.
What W180 is
W180 sits at the very top of the global cashew grade pyramid. The "180" means a count not exceeding 180 whole, white kernels per pound — typically 170–180 per pound, or about 375–397 per kilogram. These are the largest commercially graded kernels in the trade. Bigger sizes (W160, even rarer) exist but rarely leave their origin processors; W180 is the largest grade you can reliably source at scale.
Visual and physical spec
- Colour: White or pale ivory. No scorched marks, no shrivelling, no insect damage. Strict AFI Grade I tolerances.
- Shape: Whole, characteristic kidney shape. ≤5% broken tolerance under AFI; premium buyers often demand ≤3%.
- Moisture: ≤5% (typical 3–4%).
- Foreign matter: ≤0.05%.
- Aflatoxin: ≤4 ppb (EU), ≤10 ppb (US).
- Defects (combined scorched + dented + speckled): ≤5% — tighter than other grades.
Best uses
- Premium gift packs (Diwali, Eid, Christmas, Chinese New Year)
- Luxury retail SKUs and tasting boxes
- High-end HoReCa garnish and snacking platters
- Single-origin and organic premium product lines
- Brand-flagship roasted-and-salted, honey-glazed, or spice-coated SKUs
Pricing dynamics
W180 carries roughly a 50–60% premium over W320 — the largest premium of any grade. The size premium is partly real (bigger nuts = scarcer + more visually impressive) and partly market signalling: W180 is what brands stock when they want shelf presence. Supply is structurally limited because each RCN harvest yields only a small percentage of nuts large enough to grade out as W180. African origin RCN tends to deliver more W180 than Vietnamese-processed; Indian Goa processors are renowned for careful W180 grading.
Sourcing checklist
- Confirm processor's W180 throughput — many can quote, but few actually stock at scale
- Request a 250–500g pre-shipment sample (mandatory for premium grade)
- Specify defect tolerance tighter than AFI minimum (≤3% brokens for gift-market SKUs)
- Confirm packaging — CO₂ or N₂ flushing extends shelf life materially at this price point
- Verify FSSAI/APEDA (Indian) or BRC/HACCP (Vietnamese) certifications
- Lock LC at sight or escrow for first orders