Pine Nuts (Kernels & In-Shell)

Chinese Pinus koraiensis kernels and Pakistani chilgoza, species-declared

Pine nuts have had their own Harmonized System subheadings since 2022: 0802.91 in shell and 0802.92 shelled. The kernel trade is Chinese: UN Comtrade 2024 export declarations under HS 0802.92 total USD 448 million across reporters, with China at USD 279 million and 14,504 MT, 62% of the value, at an average of about USD 19,200 per MT, and Pakistan at USD 8 million and 401 MT. The in-shell trade is Pakistani: under HS 0802.91 Pakistan declared USD 15.6 million and 988 MT, 61% of a USD 26 million trade. Pakistan's chilgoza (Pinus gerardiana) is thin-shelled and prized in China, which takes most of it; Pakistani press reports exports to China of 1,147 MT worth USD 17.9 million in 2025, from forests concentrated in North and South Waziristan, with Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan. China's kernel supply is mainly Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) from the north-east. In both origins the cones are harvested from September to November.

Species is the first line of a pine nut contract. Nuts of Pinus armandii have been associated with pine mouth, a bitter taste disturbance lasting days to weeks, and that species is not among the edible pine nut species buyers accept, so the species is declared on the invoice, the certificate of analysis and the label. After species, buyers specify form (in-shell or kernel), size by count, broken percentage, colour, moisture and rancidity markers such as peroxide value, because pine nut kernels are oily and go stale in warm storage. In the EU pine nuts fall under the general tree-nut aflatoxin limits in Regulation (EU) 2023/915: 2.0 µg/kg B1 and 4.0 µg/kg total for nuts placed on the market, 5.0 / 10.0 µg/kg for nuts to be sorted. CBIL is a commodity brokerage company and brokers pine nut kernels and in-shell pine nuts from Chinese and Pakistani processors and exporters against a certificate of analysis with the species declared, size, moisture, aflatoxin and microbiology, a phytosanitary certificate and a certificate of origin. Kernels ship vacuum-packed in cartons, container-load, on FOB, CFR and CIF terms. Send the species, form, size, volume and destination, and the enquiry is screened and worked against it.

Excluded origins are not offered, including product re-exported, blended or re-processed through a third country. Every lot moves with a certificate of origin naming the producing plant, mine or grower country, and nothing is quoted before the seller and loading point are known.