What should a red chilli spec sheet show first?

Pungency and colour value, each with the method used. They are what chilli is bought and priced on, and FSSAI doesn't set them, so they come from your own lab.

What moisture limit applies to chilli?

FSSAI caps moisture at 11.0 percent for both whole chillies and chilli powder. State your own lab value.

Can chilli powder contain oil?

Under FSSAI's standard, chilli powder may contain edible vegetable oil up to 2.0 percent by weight, with a label declaration of the amount and type.

What does the EU require for chilli from India?

Spices Board's circular requires a health or official certificate based on a cleared aflatoxin report, with aflatoxin B1 at 5 ppb and total aflatoxins at 10 ppb, plus Sudan dyes not detected for powder.

Which HS codes cover chilli?

Spices Board's circular lists whole chilli under 0904 21 10, chilli powder under 0904 22 11 and other crushed or ground chilli under 0904 22 19. Confirm with your CHA.

Red Chilli Powder Specification for Export

What a buyer's QA team checks on a red chilli sheet

Each row says why the buyer asks, the reference value where a public standard states one, and how to put your own value on the sheet. A reference value is not your specification: state your own lab result, and buyers compare it with their own requirements.

Physical

Parameter	Why buyers ask	Reference value	State it as
MoistureWhole, Powder	Moisture drives mould and aflatoxin risk.	max 11.0 % by weightFSSAI 2.9.3 (v4)	max __ % (state your lab value)
Extraneous matter (whole)Whole	Stalks and stones in whole chillies are what a buyer's sorter removes at their cost.	max 1.0 % by weightFSSAI 2.9.3 (v4)	max __ % (state your lab value)
Unripe and marked fruits (whole)Whole	Unripe and spotted pods lower colour and price.	max 2.0 % by weightFSSAI 2.9.3 (v4)	max __ % (state your lab value)
Broken fruits, seeds and fragments (whole)Whole	Broken pods and loose seeds change the grind and heat.	max 5.0 % by weightFSSAI 2.9.3 (v4)	max __ % (state your lab value)
Insect-damaged matter (whole)Whole	A quarantine and quality question at the port.	max 1.0 % by weightFSSAI 2.9.3 (v4)	max __ % (state your lab value)

Chemical

Parameter	Why buyers ask	Reference value	State it as
Pungency (SHU or capsaicinoids)Whole, Crushed, Powder	Heat level is the first number a chilli buyer asks for; state it with the method used.	No public limit; state your lab value	__ SHU, or __ % capsaicinoids (state your value and method)
Colour value (ASTA or EOA)Whole, Crushed, Powder	Colour is priced separately from heat, so buyers want both.	No public limit; state your lab value	__ ASTA units (state your value and method)
Total ash (dry basis)Whole, Powder	A soil and adulteration check.	max 8.0 % by weightFSSAI 2.9.3 (v4)	max __ % (state your lab value)
Ash insoluble in dilute HCl (dry basis)Whole, Powder	The sand share; brick dust adulteration shows here.	max 1.3 % by weightFSSAI 2.9.3 (v4)	max __ % (state your lab value)
Crude fibre (powder)Powder	High fibre suggests stalks were ground in.	max 30.0 % by weightFSSAI 2.9.3 (v4)	max __ % (state your lab value)
Non-volatile ether extract (powder, dry basis)Powder	Shows the oleoresin content that carries colour and flavour.	min 12.0 % by weightFSSAI 2.9.3 (v4)	min __ % (state your lab value)
Added edible oil (powder)Powder	Buyers need to know if oil was added, and how much, for their own labels.	max 2.0 % by weightFSSAI 2.9.3 (v4)	none, or __ % with oil type (state yours)

Microbiological

Parameter	Why buyers ask	Reference value	State it as
Aerobic colony countWhole, Crushed, Powder	Shows overall hygiene of drying, grinding and packing. A high count is the first thing a QA lab flags.	m 1×10⁶, M 1×10⁷ cfu/gFSSAI App. B Table 3A (v2)	max __ cfu/g (state your lab value)
Yeast and mouldWhole, Crushed, Powder	Signals moisture pick-up in storage and transit, which shortens shelf life.	m 1×10⁴, M 1×10⁵ cfu/gFSSAI App. B Table 3A (v2)	max __ cfu/g (state your lab value)
EnterobacteriaceaeWhole, Crushed, Powder	An indicator of post-process contamination; buyers selling into ready-to-eat use check it closely.	m 1×10², M 1×10³ cfu/gFSSAI App. B Table 3A (v2)	max __ cfu/g (state your lab value)
Staphylococcus aureusWhole, Crushed, Powder	Points to handling hygiene during manual sorting and packing.	m 1×10², M 1×10³ cfu/gFSSAI App. B Table 3A (v2)	max __ cfu/g (state your lab value)
SalmonellaWhole, Crushed, Powder	A food-safety criterion, not a hygiene one: one positive lot means rejection and often a border alert.	Absent/25 gFSSAI App. B Table 3B (v2)	absent in __ g (state your lab result)
Sulphite-reducing clostridiaWhole, Crushed, Powder	Spore-formers survive drying; buyers using the product in soups and sauces ask for it.	m 1×10², M 1×10³ cfu/gFSSAI App. B Table 3B (v2)	max __ cfu/g (state your lab value)
Bacillus cereusWhole, Crushed, Powder	Another spore-former that matters when the buyer's product is held warm.	m 1×10³, M 1×10⁴ cfu/gFSSAI App. B Table 3B (v2)	max __ cfu/g (state your lab value)

Contaminants

Parameter	Why buyers ask	Reference value	State it as
Aflatoxin B1 (EU and UK lots)Whole, Powder	EU and UK entry needs a Spices Board health certificate based on aflatoxin results.	max 5 ppbSpices Board 05/2022-23	max __ ppb (state your lab value)
Total aflatoxins (EU and UK lots)Whole, Powder	The second aflatoxin figure on the EU certificate.	max 10 ppbSpices Board 05/2022-23	max __ ppb (state your lab value)
Sudan dyes I to IV (EU and UK lots, powder)Powder	Illegal red dyes are the classic chilli powder adulterant; EU buyers want 'not detected'.	Not DetectedSpices Board 05/2022-23	not detected (state your result)

Forms and HS codes

Whole: HS 0904 21 10, chilli whole: fruits of the genus capsicum
Crushed: HS 0904 22 19, other (crushed or ground)
Powder: HS 0904 22 11, chilli powder

Codes are quoted from the official documents linked. Confirm the current line with your customs broker before you file.

Packing formats buyers expect to see named

PP woven bags (whole)
Pressed bales (whole, stemless)
Multi-wall paper bags with an inner poly liner (powder)

State the bag or carton, its liner, the net weight and how many fit a pallet or container. Those numbers are yours to state; no standard sets them.

What buyers in your main markets ask for

EU and UK. A Health Certificate or Official Certificate from Spices Board is required for chilli entering the EU and UK, issued on a cleared aflatoxin report. Source
EU. Spices under HS 0904 to 0910 need Spices Board's mandatory ethylene oxide testing and an official certificate for EU entry. Source
India. FSSAI sets separate limits for whole chillies and chilli powder only; crushed chilli has no separate standard, so state your own lab values for it. Source

An example red chilli sheet

This is how the parameters above sit on one page, for a fictional company. Reference values are shown where a standard states one; on a real sheet each value is the exporter's own lab result.

Red chilli, powder — Example: fictional company (Example Spice Exports). Not for download.

Physical
Parameter	Specification	Test method	Reference
Moisture	max 11.0 % by weight	Not stated	FSSAI 2.9.3 (v4)

Chemical
Parameter	Specification	Test method	Reference
Pungency (SHU or capsaicinoids)	per buyer specification	Not stated
Colour value (ASTA or EOA)	per buyer specification	Not stated
Total ash (dry basis)	max 8.0 % by weight	Not stated	FSSAI 2.9.3 (v4)
Ash insoluble in dilute HCl (dry basis)	max 1.3 % by weight	Not stated	FSSAI 2.9.3 (v4)
Crude fibre (powder)	max 30.0 % by weight	Not stated	FSSAI 2.9.3 (v4)
Non-volatile ether extract (powder, dry basis)	min 12.0 % by weight	Not stated	FSSAI 2.9.3 (v4)
Added edible oil (powder)	max 2.0 % by weight	Not stated	FSSAI 2.9.3 (v4)

Microbiological · reference: FSSAI App. B Table 3 (v2)
Parameter	Specification	Test method
Aerobic colony count	m 1×10⁶, M 1×10⁷ cfu/g	IS 5402 / ISO 4833
Yeast and mould	m 1×10⁴, M 1×10⁵ cfu/g	IS 5403 / ISO 21527 Part 1 and Part 2
Enterobacteriaceae	m 1×10², M 1×10³ cfu/g	IS/ISO 7402 / ISO 21528 Part 2
Staphylococcus aureus	m 1×10², M 1×10³ cfu/g	IS 5887 Part 2 and Part 8 / ISO 6888-1 or ISO 6888-2
Salmonella	Absent/25 g	IS 5887 Part 3 / ISO 6579
Sulphite-reducing clostridia	m 1×10², M 1×10³ cfu/g	ISO 15213
Bacillus cereus	m 1×10³, M 1×10⁴ cfu/g	IS 5887 Part 6 / ISO 7932

Contaminants · reference: Spices Board 05/2022-23
Parameter	Specification	Test method
Aflatoxin B1 (EU and UK lots)	max 5 ppb	Not stated
Total aflatoxins (EU and UK lots)	max 10 ppb	Not stated
Sudan dyes I to IV (EU and UK lots, powder)	Not Detected	Not stated

Form	HS code
Whole	0904 21 10
Crushed	0904 22 19
Powder this sheet	0904 22 11

Mistakes on red chilli sheets that make buyers go quiet

A variety name with no pungency or colour value.
No method next to SHU or ASTA, so the buyer can't compare figures.
Not declaring added oil in powder.
Sending an EU buyer a sheet with no aflatoxin or Sudan dye results.
Using powder limits on a crushed chilli sheet.

Questions a buyer will send you

What is the heat level and colour value, and by which methods?
Is this stem-on or stemless, and which variety?
Is any oil added to the powder?
Can you share the Spices Board aflatoxin and Sudan dye report?

Your sheet should look like this. The Buyer-Ready Pack builds it for up to 3 products, along with your Google listing and export page: ₹45,000, 10 working days.

Get my free Buyer Check See what the Pack includes

Sources

Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, Chapter 2.9: Salt, Spices, Condiments and Related Products, FSSAI, Version 4 (01.08.2025)
Appendix B: Microbiological Requirements, Table 3 (Spices and Herbs), Tables 3A and 3B, FSSAI, Version 2 (04.11.2024)
Circular No. 05/2022-23: Mandatory Sampling & Testing of export consignments of Spices & Spice products under the Quality Evaluation System of Spices Board, Spices Board, 27 May 2022
Comprehensive Guidelines on Prevention of Ethylene Oxide (EtO) contamination in Spices Exports (Doc No. SB/EXP/SOP/02 Rev.01), Spices Board, Issued 06.05.2024 (Circular No. 3/24-25)

Checked 2 November 2026. This page is general information, not legal, tax or compliance advice.

Red Chilli Powder specification for export: what your spec sheet must state