Hard bread wheat
Higher-protein common wheat selected for bread and strong flour. Gluten strength, falling number and test weight affect milling and baking.
IMEX / Commodities / Wheat & flour
Commodity 03 · Wheat & flour
Wheat selected for its job.
Bread, biscuit, pasta and general-purpose flour require different grain and milling characteristics. Protein alone cannot describe performance.
Key distinctionCommon wheat or durum
Common measuresProtein, gluten, falling number and ash
Typical useBread, bakery, pasta and noodles
Product families
Grain classes and milled products.
The end product should lead the specification, from grain class and protein quality to flour extraction and functionality.
Soft wheat
Lower-protein classes used for biscuits, cakes and some pastries where extensibility and lower dough strength may be preferred.
Durum wheat
Hard, amber wheat milled into semolina or durum flour for pasta and couscous. Vitreousness, colour and protein quality are central.
White wheat flour
Flour from common wheat supplied to an agreed protein, ash, moisture, granulation and treatment profile for bakery or general food use.
Wholemeal flour
Milled product retaining the grain components in stated proportions. Particle size, shelf life and infestation control require attention.
Special-purpose flour
Bread, biscuit, cake, pizza, noodle and fortified flours are specified by functional tests and permitted ingredients for the destination market.
Representative origins
Classes reflect climate and system.
Origin is one part of the brief; grade, crop condition and mill capability decide suitability.
Canada and United StatesEstablished hard, soft, spring, winter and durum wheat classes.
European Union and United KingdomFood wheat and flour routes spanning bread, biscuit and general-purpose use.
AustraliaMultiple white-wheat and durum classes serving Asian and global milling markets.
Black Sea and South AmericaLarge-volume milling-wheat routes from the Black Sea region and Argentina, subject to current trade conditions.
Buyer brief
Link tests to end use.
The useful specification combines analytical limits with a processing result.
Class and cropSpecies/class, grade, crop year, origin and intended end use.
Protein qualityProtein basis, wet gluten, gluten index or agreed dough-strength test.
Grain conditionMoisture, test weight, falling number, foreign matter, damaged kernels and pests.
Flour profileAsh, moisture, granulation, extraction, colour and treatment/additive status.
Food safetyMycotoxins, pesticide residues, microbiology and destination fortification rules.
LogisticsBulk vessel, container, silo, bag size, liner, inspection, Incoterm and schedule.
Technical references: Codex Wheat Flour CXS 152-1985 and Codex cereal standards.
Wheat and flour enquiry
Tell us what the mill or bakery must achieve.
Provide the end use, required analytical and functional measures, quantity, packing, destination and timing.
Email a wheat brief- Email: contact@thefoodeconomist.co.uk
- Mobile: 07878 228201
- Landline: 020 8050 1884
- Scope: requirement definition, origin options and mill-route review
Representative information only. Contract tests, limits and destination requirements must be agreed for each transaction.