Dry red chilli specification for export: limits, heat, colour and a sheet format

Key takeaways

• The FSSAI limits are only the floor. They say a lot is legal, not that it is the grade a buyer wants [1].
• Heat and colour decide the price. FSSAI sets neither, so your sheet has to supply them.
• Aflatoxin depends on the market. Spices Board's limits run from 5 ppb to 30 ppb [3].
• The 2026 EU change is real but narrow. It ended the ethylene oxide certificate, not the limit [5].

What are the limits for dry red chilli?

These are the FSSAI limits for whole dried chilli [1]:

The clause also sets what must be absent. Pods must be free from mould, living and dead insects, insect fragments and rodent contamination. They must also be free from extraneous colouring matter, mineral oil coating and other harmful substances [1].

Microbiological limits apply too. For dried spices, Appendix B includes Salmonella absent in 25 g [2].

What should you state for heat and colour?

A buyer pays for these, and FSSAI leaves them to you. Colour is priced separately from heat, so give both:

• Heat: your tested value in SHU or capsaicinoids, with the method.
• Colour: your tested value in ASTA or EOA units, with the method.
• Form: stem-on or stemless, and the variety you trade under.

A variety name isn't a specification. Two lots of the same variety can test differently, so give the figures for the lot you are offering. A figure with no method can't be compared with anything.

Be careful with protected names. Spices Board's GI list includes Guntur Sannam Chilli, Byadagi Chilli and Bhiwapur Chilli [7]. Each is registered to a named body, so check that you may use a name before you print it.

What do export markets add?

Spices Board's list of mandatory tests sets these aflatoxin limits for whole chilli [3]:

The circular has other rows too, so check your own destination in it. A buyer's own limit can be tighter than any of these.

Ethylene oxide has a lower EU limit for chilli. It is 0.02 mg/kg, against 0.10 mg/kg for most spices [4]. Since January 2026 the EU no longer needs an official certificate for it, but it still checks 20% of consignments at the border [5]. See our guide to ethylene oxide in Indian spices.

The UK has its own rule. Spices Board says chilli under CN code 0904 needs an Official Certificate for pesticide residues for the UK [6].

Know where the volume goes. In 2025-26, China took 210,998 tonnes of Indian chilli, Bangladesh 106,401 and Thailand 58,778 [8]. These totals cover all chilli products. If you sell to those markets, ask what the buyer tests, because the circular's list is only the starting point.

What should a dry red chilli spec sheet include?

Keep it to one page per variety and form. Use this order:

Product: Dry red chilli, whole, [stem-on / stemless]
Variety and origin: [variety], [district, state], India
HS code: 0904 21 10 (confirm with your CHA)
Heat: [__] SHU, [method]
Colour: [__] ASTA, [method]
Moisture: max [__]%
Extraneous matter: max [__]%
Unripe and marked fruits: max [__]%
Broken fruits and seeds: max [__]%
Aflatoxin B1 / total: [__] / [__] ppb, [lab, report number]
Ethylene oxide: [result], [lab, report number]
Packing: [bag or bale type, net weight]
Shelf life and storage: [your tested claim]
Version: [date], Lot: [number]

Don't copy the legal limit onto your sheet. Use a figure your lots actually meet, because a buyer's lab will test your sample against it.

Watch how you pack. Spices Board's guidelines say dried chillies must not be sprayed with water to prevent breakage during packing, because that can grow moulds and pathogens [4].

Which mistakes cost the most?

• A variety name with no heat or colour figures. The buyer has nothing to compare.
• No method beside SHU or ASTA. Results from different methods aren't comparable.
• An EU sheet with no aflatoxin result. It tells the buyer you haven't tested the lot.
• Telling an EU buyer the certificate is still required, or that all testing has gone. Neither is the full picture in 2026.
• Using powder rules for whole chilli. Crude fibre and added oil limits belong to the powder clause [1].

Next step. See every parameter, including powder and crushed forms, on our red chilli spec sheet. Then check what a buyer finds about you. Our free Buyer Check is a 1-page report on your Google listing, website and spec gaps, with the 3 fixes that matter most, within 24 hours.