Grade A Shea Butter
Also written as: Grade A, premium unrefined shea butter, first-grade shea butter
Summary
Grade is a laboratory outcome, not a marketing label — it is assigned from measured free fatty acid, peroxide value, moisture and impurities against a written threshold set, so a supplier who cannot show the numbers cannot show the grade. The thresholds themselves are on the grades page and a sample certificate of analysis.
Related terms
Free Fatty Acid (FFA)
Free fatty acid (FFA) is the share of a fat's fatty acids that have broken away from their…
Peroxide Value (PV)
Peroxide value (PV) measures the primary oxidation products (peroxides and hydroperoxides)…
Cold-Pressed
Cold-pressed shea butter is extracted from dried kernels by mechanical pressing alone
Unsaponifiable Matter
Unsaponifiable matter is the fraction of a fat that does not form soap when boiled with al…
Wild Collection
Wild collection means shea nuts are gathered from naturally occurring
Full explainer: Shea Butter Grades
Grade A, B and C unrefined shea butter and refined N-RBD explained.
Part of the shea butter glossary · Complete guide to shea butter
Last reviewed September 2026 by EMI Agro Industries QC team.