Frozen Sardine, Mackerel & Horse Mackerel
Whole round frozen pelagics by size grade, glaze and histamine
The pelagic trade is the volume end of frozen fish, and it is bought on size grade, glaze and origin before anything else. Sardine (Sardina pilchardus, HS 0303.53) is sold whole round, block frozen in 10 kg or 20 kg cartons, and graded by count - 6/8, 8/10, 10/12 or 12/16 pieces per kilo - with the larger fish commanding the premium; horse mackerel (Trachurus spp., HS 0303.55) and Atlantic or Pacific mackerel (Scomber spp., HS 0303.54) are graded by weight per piece in the 100-200 g, 200-300 g and 300-500 g bands. Glaze, the protective ice coating, is declared as a percentage and the buyer wants net weight after deglazing, not gross - a 10 kg carton at 10% glaze holds 9 kg of fish. Core temperature on loading is -18°C or colder, and mackerel, as a scombroid, is tested for histamine (the typical limit is 100 ppm on the mean of samples under EU and Codex practice). UN Comtrade 2025 export declarations under HS 0303 put Morocco at 349k MT at an average USD 1,195/MT and Oman at 305k MT at USD 1,169/MT, and both destination lists are the same story: Morocco sends 50.2k MT to Cote d'Ivoire at USD 1,274, 47.2k MT to Ghana at USD 1,469, 38.9k MT to Mali at USD 681 and 11.4k MT to Nigeria; Oman sends 40.0k MT to Egypt at USD 596, 22.8k MT to Cote d'Ivoire, 18.4k MT to Ghana, 16.9k MT to Bangladesh and 15.4k MT to Benin. Mauritania, the other big Atlantic pelagic source, does not report to Comtrade, so its volumes are seen only in the importers' books.
The buyer is an importer with a cold store at Tema, Abidjan, Lagos, Alexandria or Jebel Ali who sells cartons on to wholesalers and the wet market, and the number that matters is landed cost per net kilo at the size grade the market takes - West Africa wants the larger sardine and horse mackerel, Egypt takes the smaller sardine and the Omani Indian mackerel at a lower price. CBIL is a commodity brokerage company and brokers whole round frozen sardine, mackerel and horse mackerel from Moroccan, Mauritanian, Omani, Pakistani and Indian packers against a plant health certificate, a catch certificate where the destination requires one, and a surveyor's report on size grade, glaze, net weight and core temperature at stuffing. Every lot is finfish, species-declared and certifiable as halal by the destination's accepted certifier; CBIL does not broker shrimp, prawn, crab, lobster, squid, octopus, cuttlefish or clams, so a mixed-species container is never on offer. Cargo moves in 40-ft high-cube reefer containers of about 25-27 MT set at -18°C or colder, on FOB, CFR and CIF terms, with reefer freight quoted through the lines and forwarders - this is not a chartering trade, and LaycanDesk, our chartering desk, is not the point here. Send the species, size grade, glaze basis, carton weight and discharge port and we will work an origin and a price per net kilo to it.
Indicative reference
$600-1,500 USD / MT
as at September 2026
Reference level only — not an offer, and reviewed quarterly. Levels shown are as at September 2026. Firm pricing is quoted per RFQ, subject to volume, terms and inspection.
Typical Specification
Specifications are indicative and adjusted to the agreed contract and destination requirements. Final spec confirmed on COA / SGS.
Available Grades
Applications
- Wholesale and wet-market distribution (West Africa, Egypt)
- Gulf and South Asian retail
- Smoking and drying plants
- Canning (sardine, mackerel)
- Bait and fishmeal offcuts
Category
Agri-Foods, Spices & Nuts
Incoterms
FOB · CFR · CIF
Pricing basis
USD / MT
Inspection
SGS / Intertek at load port
Frozen Sardine, Mackerel & Horse Mackerel — buyer questions
How is frozen sardine graded and priced?
By count - pieces per kilo - on whole round block-frozen fish. A 6/8 grade means six to eight fish to the kilo, and it trades well above 12/16 because the larger fish sells better in the West African wet market. Price is quoted per tonne on the carton weight, so ask the glaze percentage and whether the carton weight is gross or net: a 10 kg carton at 10% glaze holds 9 kg of fish, and two offers that look USD 100 apart may be equal once both are put on net weight.
Do you broker any shellfish alongside the fish?
No. The book is finfish only - species with fins and scales - because the importers it is written for in the Gulf, South Asia, Egypt and Southeast Asia apply that rule and need every lot certifiable as halal by their accepted certifier. CBIL does not broker shrimp, prawn, crab, lobster, squid, octopus, cuttlefish or clams, and no mixed container is offered. Every lot is species-declared on the plant health certificate and the packing list.
What is the histamine test and which species need it?
Scombroid fish - mackerel, horse mackerel, tuna, sardine to a lesser degree - form histamine if they warm up between catch and freezing, and it survives cooking. Importers test on arrival, and the usual working limit is 100 ppm on the mean of samples with no single sample above 200 ppm under EU and Codex practice. The protection is a plant that chills on board and freezes within hours of landing, a certificate of analysis from the packer, and a surveyor drawing samples at stuffing.
How does the cargo move and who quotes the freight?
In 40-ft high-cube reefer containers holding about 25-27 MT of cartons, set at -18°C or colder and pre-cooled before stuffing. The freight is a reefer slot with a shipping line, quoted directly or through a forwarder, and we quote it alongside the cargo on CFR and CIF enquiries. This is a container trade, not a chartering one, so LaycanDesk, our chartering desk, does not come into it.
Ready to source Frozen Sardine & Mackerel?
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