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Sesame Seeds specification for export: what your spec sheet must state

By Flowstack. Sources checked 2 November 2026. Every limit checked word for word against its source document.
Short answerA buyer's QA team expects a sesame sheet to state the type (natural or hulled, white or black), purity and admixture, moisture, oil content and free fatty acids, colour, the Salmonella result, ethylene oxide status for EU lots, the export certificate, packing and the HS code, with your lab values and test methods.

What a buyer's QA team checks on a sesame seeds 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

ParameterWhy buyers askReference valueState it as
PurityNatural white, Hulled white, Natural black Purity is how sesame is traded and priced; buyers ask for it before anything else. No public limit; state your lab value min __ % (state your lab value)
Admixture (other-coloured seed)Natural white, Hulled white, Natural black Black or brown seed in a white lot is visible in the buyer's product. No public limit; state your lab value max __ % (state your lab value)
MoistureNatural white, Hulled white, Natural black Moisture decides mould and rancidity on the voyage. No public limit; state your lab value max __ % (state your lab value)
Hulling efficiencyHulled white Unhulled seed in a hulled lot is the main complaint from bakery buyers. No public limit; state your lab value min __ % (state your lab value)

Chemical

ParameterWhy buyers askReference valueState it as
Oil contentNatural white, Hulled white, Natural black Crushers buy on oil yield; bakers care less, so state it either way. No public limit; state your lab value min __ % (state your lab value)
Free fatty acids (as oleic)Natural white, Hulled white, Natural black Rising FFA means the seed is going rancid. No public limit; state your lab value max __ % (state your lab value)

Microbiological

ParameterWhy buyers askReference valueState it as
SalmonellaNatural white, Hulled white, Natural black DGFT's EU export procedure for sesame is built around Salmonella control, so buyers expect a result on every lot. No public limit; state your lab value absent in __ g (state your lab result)

Contaminants

ParameterWhy buyers askReference valueState it as
Ethylene oxide (EU lots)Natural white, Hulled white, Natural black EU buyers check ethylene oxide on Indian sesame lot by lot. No public limit; state your lab value not detected / below __ mg/kg (state your result and method)

Forms and HS codes

  • Natural white: HS 1207 40 90, other sesame seeds whether or not broken
  • Hulled white: HS 1207 40 90, other sesame seeds whether or not broken
  • Natural black: HS 1207 40 90, other sesame seeds whether or not broken

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 with an inner liner
  • Multi-wall paper bags with an inner poly liner (hulled)
  • Bulk bags

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. DGFT designates IOPEPC as the competent authority to issue export certification for sesame seeds to EU countries, against a Certificate of Analysis from a NABL-accredited laboratory. Source
  • EU. DGFT points exporters to its document 'Procedure for Control of Contamination of Salmonella in Sesame Seeds for Export to EU'. Source

An example sesame seeds 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.

Example: fictional company (Example Seeds & Grains). Not for download.
Example Seeds & GrainsRajkot, Gujarat, India
Document
SPEC-EXSEEDS-SESAME-v1
Revision
A
Issued
2 November 2026
Status
Example

Product specification

Sesame seeds

Hulled white

Sesame seeds, hulled white
Purity
per buyer specification
Moisture
per buyer specification
Salmonella
per buyer specification
Physical
ParameterSpecificationTest methodReference
Purityper buyer specificationNot stated
Admixture (other-coloured seed)per buyer specificationNot stated
Moistureper buyer specificationNot stated
Hulling efficiencyper buyer specificationNot stated
Chemical
ParameterSpecificationTest methodReference
Oil contentper buyer specificationNot stated
Free fatty acids (as oleic)per buyer specificationNot stated
Microbiological
ParameterSpecificationTest methodReference
Salmonellaper buyer specificationNot stated
Contaminants
ParameterSpecificationTest methodReference
Ethylene oxide (EU lots)per buyer specificationNot stated

Commercial

Packing
On request
MOQ
On request
Shelf life
On request
Storage
Cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight
Origin
Rajkot, Gujarat, India
Port of loading
Mundra or Kandla
HS code
1207 40 90 (confirm with your CHA)

Forms we supply

FormHS code
Natural white1207 40 90
Hulled white this sheet1207 40 90
Natural black1207 40 90
Sesame seeds Hulled white Lot number Packing date Net weight, origin
What the bag label shows. Bag type and size: on request.

Example Seeds & Grains · export@example-seeds.example · example-seeds.example

Values are specifications, not a certificate of analysis. A lot-specific COA is supplied with each shipment.

SPEC-EXSEEDS-SESAME-v1 · Revision A · v1 2 November 2026: First issue

Mistakes on sesame seeds sheets that make buyers go quiet

  1. Quoting purity without saying how it was measured.
  2. No Salmonella result on an EU-bound sheet.
  3. Leaving out the IOPEPC certificate route for EU buyers.
  4. Using one sheet for natural and hulled seed.

Questions a buyer will send you

  • What purity and admixture do you guarantee?
  • Is the seed natural or hulled, and how was it hulled?
  • Do you have the IOPEPC certificate and a NABL-accredited lab report?
  • Is the lot tested for ethylene oxide and Salmonella?

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

Related: What a buyer-grade export spec sheet contains · Cumin Seeds specification · Dehydrated Garlic specification · All spec sheets

Sources

  1. ITC (HS) Schedule 2: Chapter-wise Export Policy, DGFT, ITC (HS), 2018 edition, as hosted on content.dgft.gov.in
  2. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1540 (sesamum seeds from India), EU (could not be retrieved; nothing on this page is quoted from it)

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

Questions exporters ask

Who certifies sesame seed exports to the EU?

DGFT designates IOPEPC as the competent authority to issue export certification for sesame seeds to EU countries, based on a Certificate of Analysis from a NABL-accredited laboratory.

Why is Salmonella central for sesame?

DGFT's export policy refers exporters to its procedure for controlling Salmonella contamination in sesame seeds for the EU, so buyers expect a result on every lot.

Is there an FSSAI standard for whole sesame seeds?

We did not find one in FSSAI's spices chapter, so this page states no FSSAI limits for sesame seed. State your own lab values and methods.

Which HS code covers sesame seeds?

DGFT's export policy lists sesame seeds of seed quality under 1207 40 10 and other sesame seeds under 1207 40 90. Confirm with your CHA.

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