Buyer guide · updated 11 October 2026
ICUMSA 150 sugar from Brazil: what it is and when it does the job.
ICUMSA 150 is mill white sugar, also called crystal or plantation white: white sugar made directly at the mill, not re-melted and refined. The Codex standard sets its limits at 150 ICUMSA units of colour, 99.5° polarisation minimum, 0.1% each for ash, invert sugar and loss on drying, and up to 70 mg/kg of sulphur dioxide. In Brazil it is sold as açúcar cristal. It exports under the same customs code as ICUMSA 45, HS 1701.99, so trade data doesn’t separate the two. If your specification allows 150 units of colour and the other mill-white limits, it may do the job of ICUMSA 45.
The specification
| Limit (Codex CXS 212-1999) | Plantation or mill white | White sugar |
|---|---|---|
| Colour, ICUMSA units, max | 150 | 60 |
| Polarisation, min | 99.5°Z | 99.7°Z |
| Conductivity ash, max | 0.1% | 0.04% |
| Invert sugar, max | 0.1% | 0.04% |
| Loss on drying, max | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Sulphur dioxide, max | 70 mg/kg | 15 mg/kg |
The colour, ash, invert sugar and loss-on-drying limits sit in the standard’s annex, which Codex marks for voluntary application by commercial partners, not by governments; they bind a sale only if the contract adopts them. ICUMSA 45 takes its name from the ICE No. 5 white sugar contract, which sets colour at 45 ICUMSA units maximum and polarisation at 99.8° minimum; see ICUMSA 45 vs ICUMSA 150 vs VHP.
Not sure whether ICUMSA 150 meets your spec? Send the spec with your quantity and port.
Send a requirement →How it is made
Brazil’s agriculture ministry defines crystal sugar as sugar made directly at the mill, with clarification and bleaching. Refined sugar is made by dissolving white or raw sugar and processing it again. Brazil’s standard caps granulated refined sugar at 60 ICUMSA units and amorphous refined at 100, against 300 for crystal.
Watch the word “cristal”
Brazil’s own standard for crystal sugar allows up to 300 ICUMSA units of colour, with polarisation of at least 99.50°Z and moisture and ash of no more than 0.10%. The Brazilian crystal sugar price index covers ICUMSA 130 to 180. So “cristal” on its own is not a promise of 150. If you need 150, write “150 ICUMSA units maximum”, with the test method, into the contract and the inspection certificate.
Who uses it
The Codex standard covers sugars sold to the final consumer and sugars used as ingredients in food, and Brazil’s standard applies the same crystal limits to sugar for direct sale and to sugar for the food industry. Most enquiries I get ask for ICUMSA 45 because it sounds like the best sugar there is, but ICUMSA 150 meets plenty of industrial specifications. Historically it has often been the lower-priced of the two. Start from your customer’s spec sheet, not from the grade name.
How it ships
For customs it is white sugar, HS 1701.99, the same line as ICUMSA 45. Brazil’s standard allows it packed or in bulk; packaging is agreed for each requirement. For container quantities, see buying Brazilian sugar by the container.
What to write into the contract
- Colour, 150 ICUMSA units maximum, and the ICUMSA method used to measure it;
- polarisation, moisture, ash and sulphur dioxide limits;
- packaging and quantity;
- the independent inspection company, and its certificate as a document your bank requires before it pays.
More on that last point in what protects you if sugar arrives off-spec.
Sources
- Codex Alimentarius, Standard for Sugars CXS 212-1999 (amended 2001), Sections 1 and 2.1 and Annex Table 1: https://www.fao.org/input/download/standards/338/CXS_212e_u.pdf
- Ministério da Agricultura (MAPA), Instrução Normativa 47/2018, as amended by IN 60/2019, definitions and Annexes III–IV (in force 1 Jul 2020): https://sistemasweb.agricultura.gov.br/sislegis/action/detalhaAto.do?method=visualizarAtoPortalMapa&chave=2020932845
- USDA FAS GAIN, Brazil: Sugar Annual, BR2026-0020, 20 Apr 2026 (Cepea crystal index, ICUMSA 130 to 180): https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/Report/DownloadReportByFileName?fileName=Sugar%20Annual_Brasilia_Brazil_BR2026-0020
- ICE Futures Europe, White Sugar Futures contract rules, Section IIII: https://www.ice.com/publicdocs/contractregs/107_SECTION_IIII.pdf
- ComexStat (MDIC), NCM 1701.99.00, no subdivision by grade, retrieved 11 Oct 2026: https://comexstat.mdic.gov.br/
Checked on 11 October 2026. Rules and web pages change; check the source before you rely on a detail.