Indonesian coffee bean grades and defect standards explained

A practical field guide to the SNI coffee defect count. Learn how to run a clean 300 g inspection, understand Grade 1–6 thresholds, spot primary vs secondary defects, handle partials, and communicate results to buyers who use SCA.

If you can’t show a clean 300 g SNI defect count, you’re negotiating blind. We’ve graded thousands of Indonesian lots for export and the pattern is consistent. Teams that follow a tight, repeatable process hit Grade 1 sooner, spend less on rework, and have fewer shipment disputes.

Below is the exact, field-proven process we use. It’s written for small mills, QC teams and buyers who need a reliable, SNI-compliant result in under an hour.

What SNI measures and why 300 g matters

SNI is Indonesia’s national standard for green coffee grading. It uses a 300 g sample and a total “defect unit” tally to classify lots into grades. It’s simple on purpose. You don’t need a lab. You need discipline.

Quick grade thresholds per 300 g (Arabica and Robusta use the same defect bands unless a contract says otherwise):

• Grade 1 (G1): 0–11 defect units
• Grade 2 (G2): 12–25
• Grade 3 (G3): 26–44
• Grade 4 (G4): 45–80
• Grade 5 (G5): 81–150
• Grade 6 (G6): >150

We ship multiple G1 lots each season, like our Arabica Bali Kintamani Grade 1 Green Coffee Beans. Getting there consistently starts with nailing the defect count.

Primary vs secondary defects in Indonesia

SNI aligns closely with ISO-style classification. In practice, buyers focus on two baskets because not all defects weigh the same risk.

Primary (severe, count heavily):

• Full black bean
• Full sour bean
• Moldy/fungus-damaged bean
• Foreign matter (stones, sticks, metal) and unhulled cherry/pod fragments

Secondary (moderate, can add up fast):

• Partial black, partial sour
• Insect-damaged beans (light to moderate)
• Broken, chipped, cut beans
• Withered/immature beans, floaters
• Shells, quakers, parchment/silver skin adherent

Here’s the thing. SNI grading uses a “defect unit” tally, and different defects can be fractional. Your contract should state the equivalences. When it doesn’t, we default to an ISO-aligned table and disclose it on the COA. That transparency prevents 90% of disputes.

Tools we actually use at the warehouse

You can run a clean SNI count with basic kit:

• Calibrated scale to 0.1 g, sample trays, a black or matte sorting surface
• 5× magnifier, tweezers, small containers to group defects
• Timer and tally sheet with defect categories
• Optional: screens for size checks, moisture meter for context. Moisture isn’t part of the defect count, but buyers ask.

Pro tip: Photograph each defect group on the tray. In the past six months, more buyers ask for visual evidence with pre-shipment QC. A quick phone photo set goes a long way.

Step-by-step: how to do the SNI coffee defect count

1. Prepare the sample. Mix your bulk thoroughly. Cone-and-quarter until you have 300.0 g. Don’t round.
2. First pass. Hand-spread 50–100 g at a time on a dark tray. Pull obvious primary defects and foreign matter immediately. Set aside by category.
3. Second pass. Go slower. Catch partial black/sour, insect damage, broken and withered. Keep categories separate.
4. Third pass. Quick sanity check. It’s faster to recheck by category than to argue later.
5. Record by category. Use your tally sheet with defect unit equivalences. Total the defect units for the sample.
6. Grade. Map your total to G1–G6. Note any primary defects separately. Most specialty buyers want zero primary defects even if your total is under 11.

Our experience shows teams shave 10–15 minutes off the process by grouping as they go and tallying once at the end.

How do I record partial defects like broken or chipped beans?

Because SNI uses defect units, partials aren’t one-for-one. When a buyer hasn’t specified a table, we disclose and use this field-friendly scheme:

• Full black, full sour, moldy, foreign matter, pod/husk: 1.0 DU each
• Partial black, partial sour, severe insect damage: 0.5 DU each
• Light insect damage, shell, withered/immature, floater: 0.5 DU each
• Broken/chipped/cut: 0.25 DU each
• Parchment/silver skin adherent (heavy): 0.25 DU each

If you prefer the stricter ISO 10470 weights for stones by size, state it on the COA. Consistency beats perfection.

What is the allowed defect count for Indonesian Grade 1 coffee?

Grade 1 allows a total of 0–11 defect units per 300 g. In export practice, we target zero primary defects inside that band for specialty buyers.

Which defects are primary vs secondary under SNI?

Primary: full black, full sour, moldy/fungus, foreign matter/cherry pod. Secondary: partial black/sour, insect damage, broken/chipped, withered/immature, floaters, shells, parchment/silver-skin adherent.

Do I use a 300 g or 350 g sample for Indonesian defect counting?

Use 300 g for SNI. Some international buyers use SCA’s 350 g method. If you need to compare, multiply your SNI totals by 1.167 to normalize to 350 g. Then apply their mapping.

Are Arabica and Robusta rules different under SNI?

Defect-unit grade bands are the same. What differs in practice is buyer tolerance. Many Robusta contracts accept G2–G4 for commercial use. For example, our Robusta Lampung Green Coffee Beans (ELB & Grades 2–4) are specified by grade and screen. Always check the contract.

Converting SNI results to SCA for international buyers

SCA green grading sorts defects into Category 1 and 2 on a 350 g sample. Here’s a fast, defensible way to communicate across systems:

• Normalize sample size. SNI total DU × 1.167 ≈ 350 g equivalent.
• Map categories. Treat SNI primary defects as SCA Category 1. Treat SNI secondary as SCA Category 2.
• Disclose the raw counts. Report “0 Category 1, 4 Category 2 equivalents” rather than a single number. Include photos of primaries.

Rule of thumb from our shipments: a G1 SNI lot with zero primaries and a normalized total under 5 usually passes SCA Grade 1. But never assume. Share the raw tally.

Pre-shipment coffee QC: what to send your buyer

We recommend a simple, consistent package:

• The 300 g SNI defect sheet with category breakdown and total DU
• Photos of each defect group on a tray
• Sample weight, date, and who did the count
• Moisture, screen distribution, and odor notes (context only)
• Your corrective action if needed, for example, “secondary hand-pick to target DU ≤ 7”

Need a printable tally sheet or a second set of eyes on your lot? Contact us on whatsapp. We’ll share the template we use and walk your team through a live count if you want.

Common mistakes we see (and how to avoid them)

• Mixing sample sizes. Someone uses 200 g because they’re rushing. Don’t. Always 300. Label the bag “300 g SNI” before you start.
• Not separating primaries. A lot can hit 10 DU with zero primaries or 10 DU with a stone and two moldies. Those are not equal. Report categories.
• Counting “broken” loosely. Define broken as any bean missing a significant piece or split. Be consistent and photograph your threshold example.
• Ignoring withered/immature. These sneak through on wet-hulled Sumatra lots. Train your team with side-by-side good vs withered examples. It’s obvious once you’ve seen 50.
• Last-minute rework. If you’re above 11 DU, don’t rebag and pray. A targeted hand-pick on the top three defect categories is usually enough to swing a G2 into G1 in 1–2 hours for a 30–60 bag lot. Focus on primaries first, then broken and insect.

Hand-sorting tips to consistently hit G1

• Sequencing matters. Color sort or density sort first if you have the equipment. Hand-pick is most efficient after mechanical pre-cleaning.
• Train to the tray. In our experience, 3 out of 5 new sorters miss partial sour until they’ve seen the reference tray twice. Build a physical reference set.
• Measure the effect. Recount a 100 g subsample after each pass. If your DU per 100 g isn’t dropping by at least 30% per pass on the target defect, change the instruction.

When you’re ready to benchmark your process, pull a reference lot like our Blue Batak Green Coffee Beans or a clean Bali G1. Run your team on those first, then move to trickier wet-hulled lots.

Final takeaways you can use today

• SNI uses a 300 g sample and a defect-unit total. G1 equals 0–11 DU, and most specialty buyers want zero primaries inside that.
• Declare the equivalence table you used for partials. Then photograph each defect group. This single habit prevents most disputes.
• To talk to SCA buyers, normalize to 350 g and map primaries to Category 1, secondaries to Category 2. Share the raw tally, not just a grade label.

If you need export-ready lots that already meet these thresholds, browse our current inventory and COAs. View our products. And if you want us to audit your own lot using the same playbook, ping us on WhatsApp and we’ll help you set it up in under a day.