What the trade data can and can't tell you about grade. HS 0713.20 covers kabuli and desi together, so the destination table doesn't split the two. The value per kilogram does, however, hint at the mix. From the same WITS figures, Algeria's 2024 shipments averaged more than twice the value per kilogram of Bangladesh's. Egypt, the United States, Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia also sit well above the average. That fits large-kabuli buying in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and North American markets and desi-heavy buying in South Asia, but it is an inference, not a labelled statistic. The trend is clearer. India's chickpea exports roughly tripled in value from 2021 to 2023. In 2024 volume fell by about 16% while value held almost flat, so the average value per kilogram rose.
| Destination (2024) | Tonnes | Average unit value (USD/kg) | Likely mix (inference) |
|---|
| Algeria | 15,250 | 1.71 | Kabuli-weighted |
| United States | 6,534 | 1.52 | Kabuli-weighted |
| Egypt | 7,575 | 1.41 | Kabuli-weighted |
| Sri Lanka | 17,379 | 1.39 | Mixed |
| United Arab Emirates | 31,894 | 1.11 | Mixed, with re-export |
| Iran | 31,282 | 0.90 | Mixed |
| Bangladesh | 43,733 | 0.78 | Desi-weighted |
| India, all markets | 247,296 | 1.15 | — |
Each importer in this table is buying a mix of types and grades, so read the last column as a hint, not a fact. Its practical use is in negotiation: if your offer is far from what your own market paid on average, ask whether you are being quoted the grade you think you are.
How kabuli is sized: counts per ounce and millimetre grades
Kabuli is the large, cream-coloured, thin-skinned chickpea used whole: the base for hummus, canned chickpeas, salads and roasted snacks. It is sold on size, and size is stated in one of two ways.
Count per ounce. A 42-44 count means roughly 42 to 44 chickpeas per ounce, so the individual chickpeas are large. A 58-60 count means smaller chickpeas and more of them per ounce. The lower the count, the larger the chickpea and the higher the price, because large, uniform kabuli is harder to grow consistently at scale.
Millimetre grades. Kabuli is also graded over screens and sold as 7mm, 8mm, 9mm or 10mm+. The number is the screen size the chickpeas were retained on. It is a minimum, so a 9mm lot will contain some larger chickpeas.
Either basis works if the contract uses one consistently and states how it will be checked. Canners and hummus makers usually care most about uniformity, because mixed sizes cook unevenly. Retail whole-pack buyers care most about the visible size of the top grade.
What the count means in grams. An ounce is 28.35 g, so the count converts directly to seed weight. A 42-44 count kabuli averages about 0.64-0.68 g per seed; a 58-60 count about 0.47-0.49 g. The larger grade's seed is roughly 38% heavier, and that difference decides the application. Retail whole packs, salads and premium canning want the large seed because the buyer sees it. Hummus and paste makers grind the chickpea, so they gain little from size and buy smaller counts on price, provided the lot is uniform enough to cook evenly. Scenario: a hummus plant moving from 58-60 to 42-44 pays for appearance it then grinds away; a retail packer making the opposite move saves money but sells a visibly smaller product.
How desi is traded: dehusked, milled or left intact
Desi chickpeas are smaller, darker (usually light to dark brown) and thicker-skinned, with a rougher surface. Most desi trade goes into processing. Dehusked and split, it becomes chana dal, a staple across South Asia. Milled, it becomes besan (gram flour), used for batters, snacks and sweets. Whole desi is also traded, for markets that cook it whole or sprout it.
Desi is not graded by count per ounce. Buyers specify form (whole or split), moisture, purity, foreign matter and, for dal, the level of broken pieces and residual husk. For millers splitting desi themselves, uniform size matters because it drives dehusking yield. Ask for a sample before committing to a new origin lot.
Which tolerances should a chickpea contract write down?
Type and size set the grade. These tolerances decide whether the lot you receive matches it:
| Parameter | Typical export level | Why it matters |
|---|
| Moisture | ≤12-14%; ≤12% where long storage is planned | Higher moisture raises mould and insect risk in the container and in your warehouse |
| Foreign matter | ≤1% | Stones, stalks and soil; a direct cleaning cost for canners and millers |
| Admixture / damaged | ≤2-3%, per contract | Covers insect-damaged, shrivelled and other-type grains, like desi in a kabuli lot |
| Splits and broken (whole grades) | Stated as a maximum on the contract | Splits cook unevenly and look poor in a retail pack |
| Colour uniformity (kabuli) | Agreed against a reference sample | Off-colour and dark-spotted grains are what retail buyers notice first |
| Size / count | Kabuli: count per ounce or mm grade | The main price driver within kabuli |
India's chickpea crop is a rabi (winter-sown) crop, harvested February to April. It is cleaned and size-graded after harvest and then shipped through the rest of the year. Kabuli is concentrated in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, while desi grows across a broader belt of central and northern India.