Knowledge · Reference

Types of Cashew: Grades, Forms and Products

Cashews are categorised by kernel grade (whole, split, pieces), by processing form (raw, roasted, salted, flavoured) and by product stage (raw cashew nut, kernel, by-products).

Updated August 2026 · TTQ Co. Ltd.

In short

The word "types of cashew" can mean three things: kernel grades (white wholes W180–W450, scorched wholes, splits, butts and pieces), processed forms (raw, roasted, salted, honey or spice-coated, diced), and product stages (the raw cashew nut in shell, the peeled kernel, and by-products like shell, CNSL and testa). Which "type" matters depends on whether you are trading grades, selling snacks or planning a processing line.

Three different questions hide behind the phrase. A trader asking about types of cashew means grades. A brand owner means forms — roasted, salted, coated. A processor planning a line means stages, because the raw nut, the kernel and the shell are three separate products with three separate markets. All three are below.

By kernel grade

This is the classification that sets price. Whole white kernels are graded by count — how many kernels make up a pound, or a kilogram — under the AFI standard. Fewer, larger kernels command more.

Grade	Kernels per lb	Kernels per kg	Trade name
W180	140–180	266–395	“King of cashews” — the largest standard grade
W210	180–210	395–465	Jumbo
W240	220–240	485–530	Premium mid
W320	300–320	660–706	The workhorse — highest volume traded
W450	400–450	880–990	Smallest standard white whole
W500	460–500	1,022–1,120	Small whole, thinner market

Counts per the AFI standard. The trade quotes per pound and most contracts settle per kilogram, so both are given — converting by hand is where mistakes happen.

Beyond the white wholes

Scorched wholes (SW)

the same size counts as the white grades — SW240 has the same count as W240 — but discoloured by heat during drying or roasting. Sound, edible, and priced below white.

Butts (B) and splits (S)

a butt is a kernel broken across its width; a split is one separated along its natural cotyledon line. Both are whole in cross-section, which is why they sit above pieces.

Pieces (LWP, SWP, BB)

large white pieces, small white pieces and baby bits, in descending size. The bakery and confectionery trade buys most of this, and it is where a plant with high breakage ends up selling.

Dessert grades (DW, DP)

kernels with deeper discolouration, black spots or immaturity. Sold into processing rather than to retail.

Grade mix, not total tonnage, is what makes a plant profitable — see cashew grades explained and W240 vs W320.

By processed form

Form	What happens to it	Who buys it
Raw kernel	Peeled, graded, packed. No heat past drying.	Re-processors, bakeries, health-food retail
Roasted	Dry or oil roasted, or drum-roasted in a salt medium	Snack brands, retail
Roasted and salted	Roasting plus surface salt	The largest single snack category
Coated and flavoured	Honey, sugar, spice or masala coating	Retail snack, high margin per kg
Diced and chopped	Cut to size after grading	Bakery, confectionery, ice cream
Cashew butter and paste	Ground, sometimes roasted first	Food manufacture, spreads

By product stage

A processing business handles three products at once, and the last of them is the one most plants undervalue.

Raw cashew nut (RCN)

the in-shell nut as bought from farmers or importers. Priced by outturn — how many pounds of kernel a bag will yield — not by weight alone.

Kernel

the finished product, graded and packed. Between 22 and 24 kg of saleable kernel comes out of every 100 kg of RCN on a well-run line.

By-products

shell at roughly 70% of nut weight, burned for process heat or pressed for CNSL, plus the testa from peeling. See cashew shell and cashew husk.

Raw nut, and the five sizes it sorts into

A bowl of raw in-shell cashew nuts as delivered, unsorted, sizes mixed — Raw cashew nut as it arrives: every size in the one bowl. Sorting this into grades is the first machine on the line, and everything downstream is easier for it.

Grade A+ raw cashew nuts held in one hand — the largest size, eight nuts fill the palm — A+ — the largest. Eight nuts fill a palm. Big nuts crack on a wider blade setting and yield the biggest kernels, which are also the ones worth the most.

Grade A raw cashew nuts held in one hand — A. Still large, and the count in the hand has already gone up. Each grade is a band, not a single size — the point is that everything inside it cracks the same way.

Grade B raw cashew nuts held in one hand — B, the middle of the ladder. Compare the palm here with the A+ frame: same hand, same light, roughly double the nuts.

Grade C raw cashew nuts held in one hand — C. Smaller kernels, and a blade setting that would shatter an A+ nut is now the correct one.

Grade D raw cashew nuts held in one hand — the smallest size, more than twenty nuts in the palm — D — the smallest. Twenty-odd nuts in the same hand. Run D through a machine set for A+ and you get breakage, which is the whole argument for grading before shelling.

Answers

Frequently asked questions

What are the main types of cashew?

By grade — white wholes W180 to W500, scorched wholes at the same counts, then butts, splits and pieces. By form — raw, roasted, salted, coated, diced, or ground to butter. By stage — the raw nut in shell, the finished kernel, and the shell and testa by-products.

What is the difference between raw and processed cashew?

Raw cashew nut is the in-shell nut as harvested. Processed cashew is the peeled, graded kernel — which may then be roasted, salted or flavoured. "Raw kernel" confusingly means the third thing: a finished kernel that has not been roasted.

What is the difference between W240 and W320?

Count per pound. W240 runs 220–240 kernels to the pound, W320 runs 300–320, so W240 kernels are visibly larger and sell at a premium. W320 is the highest-volume grade in world trade.

Are scorched cashews lower quality?

They are the same size and sound to eat — the difference is colour, caused by heat during drying or roasting. They carry the same count as their white equivalent and sell for less, which makes them good value and a poor choice for premium retail packs.

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