What is the melting point of shea butter?

Shea butter softens over a range rather than at one temperature. Slip melting point is typically 32–45 °C (about 90–113 °F) for unrefined West African butter. Body temperature sits inside that range, which is why it melts on skin. EMI Agro states the measured slip point and method on each Certificate of Analysis.

Why does the melting point of shea butter vary so much between batches?

Composition: the stearic-to-oleic ratio differs by origin, season and tree — more stearic means firmer and higher-melting butter. Crystal form: the same butter reads differently depending on how it cooled and was stored (polymorphism), which is why test methods include a tempering step.

Why does shea butter go grainy, and what does its melting point have to do with it?

Slow cooling lets the high-melting stearic-rich fraction crystallise first into large crystals that feel grainy; the rest sets around them later. Prevent it by heating the batch fully (about 75–80 °C) to erase crystal memory and cooling quickly or tempering. Graininess is a texture issue, not spoilage.

What is the difference between slip melting point and dropping point for shea butter?

Slip point (AOCS Cc 3-25 / ISO 6321) is the temperature at which a tempered fat column in an open capillary starts to move. Dropping point (AOCS Cc 18-80, Mettler) is when a sample flows and drops in an automated cup — usually a degree or two higher. Compare Certificates of Analysis only when both use the same method.

What melting point should I specify for shea butter in lip balm or body butter?

For lip products aim at the upper part of the published range (or a refined, consistent lot) and expect to blend with harder butters or waxes. For body butters the mid-range is fine and texture is controlled by cooling, not by the butter’s melting point alone. Specify slip melting point with its method on the Certificate of Analysis.

Does refining change the melting point of shea butter?

Only slightly. Neutralisation, bleaching and deodorisation remove free acids, colour and odour but leave the triglycerides, so the melting range shifts little (refined N-RBD is often reported around 32–40 °C). Fractionation into stearin and olein is different — it deliberately produces a high-melting and a liquid fraction.

Specifications

Melting Point of Shea Butter

Why 'melts at 32–45 °C' is a range and not a number — the stearic/oleic balance, crystal forms, the test method, and what it means for lip balm, body butter and CBE.

Shea butter has no single melting point: its slip melting point is typically 32–45 °C (about 90–113 °F). Two reasons: composition (the ratio of solid stearic to liquid oleic acid, which varies by origin and tree) and polymorphism (the same butter melts at different temperatures depending on how it crystallised). It softens on skin contact because body temperature sits inside that range.

Melting point at a glance

Unit: °C (slip melting point unless stated)
Test methods: AOCS Cc 3-25 · ISO 6321 (slip) · AOCS Cc 18-80 (dropping point)
Literature range: 32–45 °C unrefined (≈ 90–113 °F)
What sets it: Stearic/oleic ratio and crystal form (tempering history)
East African (nilotica): Softer, lower melting, higher oleic
Not a quality parameter: Softer or firmer within range is natural variation
Control lever: Process (tempering, cooling) and origin

What "melting point" means for a fat

A pure compound melts at one temperature; a natural fat is a mixture of triglycerides, so it softens over a range. Slip point (when a fat column starts to move), dropping point (when it flows) and clear point (fully liquid) are different numbers for the same sample.

Shea's triglycerides are dominated by SOS-type (stearic–oleic–stearic) and SOO/OOO fractions; the SOS-rich “stearin” melts high, the olein part low. Shea butter melts over a range, not at a point, because it is a blend of high-melting stearic-rich and low-melting oleic-rich triglycerides — the slip melting point marks where that blend begins to move.

Reference melting points by grade

Slip melting point (°C) by shea butter grade — EMI Agro does not publish a standing contractual range; the batch COA states the measured value
Grade	Value°C	What it usually indicates	EMI supply status
Grade A	—	Slip melting point governs skin feel and the fat's behaviour in a chocolate or balm formula.	Confirm on the batch COA
Grade B	—	Slip melting point governs skin feel and the fat's behaviour in a chocolate or balm formula.	Confirm on the batch COA
Grade C	—	Slip melting point governs skin feel and the fat's behaviour in a chocolate or balm formula.	Confirm on the batch COA
Refined N-RBD	—	Slip melting point governs skin feel and the fat's behaviour in a chocolate or balm formula.	Confirm on the batch COA

°F equivalents: 32–45 °C ≈ 90–113 °F. Values depend on method and tempering; compare COAs only when both state the method.

Grade barely changes melting point (FFA does not set it; origin does). Refined butter's published range is often narrower. Fractionation, if used, changes it a lot.

Reference points — published melting ranges for shea butter by origin and type (not EMI limits)
Type / origin	Melting behaviour
West African Vitellaria paradoxa, unrefined	32–45 °C
East African V. paradoxa subsp. nilotica	Lower / softer (higher oleic)
Refined N-RBD	≈ 32–40 °C
Shea stearin (for CBE)	Higher than the parent butter
Shea olein	Liquid at room temperature

°F equivalents: 32–45 °C ≈ 90–113 °F. Compare COAs only when the method is named.

How melting point is measured (AOCS Cc 3-25 / ISO 6321 / Cc 18-80)

Slip melting point (AOCS Cc 3-25, ISO 6321): melt and filter; draw into open capillaries; temper (for example several hours in the refrigerator); heat in a water bath at a controlled rate; record when the column rises.

Dropping point (AOCS Cc 18-80, Mettler): automated; typically a degree or two above slip point. Closed-capillary clear point (AOCS Cc 1-25): reads higher than slip point — not comparable with a slip-point spec.

Shea is polymorphic (α → β′ → β, rising melting points); an untempered sample can read several degrees lower. See AOCS Cc 3-25 and the COA interpreter.

Why the range is so wide

Stearic is typically 35–45 %; oleic is typically 40–55 %. A few percent more stearic means firmer, higher-melting butter. West African populations tend to higher stearic; East African nilotica to higher oleic. See iodine value (higher IV = more oleic = softer) and shea-producing regions.

A firmer drum this season is not a different grade — it is the same species with a slightly higher stearic share or a different crystal history. How the butter cooled after processing and how it has been stored (temperature cycling) changes which crystal form dominates.

Why melting point matters to formulators

For formulation, specify the slip melting point with its method, and treat graininess as a cooling-and-tempering problem, not a quality defect of the butter.

Lip balm / sticks need firmness at 25–30 °C and release at lip temperature; shea alone is often too soft. See unrefined Grade A and unrefined Grade A for lip balm.
Body butter graininess: slow cooling lets stearin crystallise first into large β crystals. Heat the batch above about 75–80 °C to erase crystal memory, then cool rapidly. See unrefined Grade A for body butter.
Emulsions: melting point sets the heating-phase temperature and melt-on-contact skin feel.
Soap: minor effect — hardness comes from saponified stearate; see saponification value.
Chocolate / CBE: compatibility depends on the SOS-rich stearin fraction. See shea versus cocoa butter; see also refined N-RBD for chocolate / CBE.
Blends are not a weighted average (eutectic effects). Estimate with the shea blend melting-point helper and confirm by measurement.

How EMI Agro reports and manages melting point

EMI Agro states the measured slip melting point and method on the Certificate of Analysis. Kernels are sourced in Nigeria (Kwara, Niger, Kaduna and Kogi). See Certifications & Quality and the sample Certificate of Analysis.

Iodine value rises as melting point falls. Refractive index tracks the same composition. Unsaponifiable matter affects crystallisation slightly. Free fatty acid does not set melting point. Colour is often specified together for lip products.

Shea Butter Specifications

FFA, peroxide value, moisture, refractive index, saponification value and more.

Complete Guide to Shea Butter

Master reference — grades, production, specifications, uses, sourcing, importing.

Shea Butter Grades

Grade A, B and C unrefined shea butter and refined N-RBD explained.

Iodine Value

Iodine value as an unsaturation and identity check.

Refractive Index

Refractive index at 40 °C as an identity check for shea butter.

Unsaponifiable Matter

The unsaponifiable fraction that distinguishes shea from cheaper hard fats.

Free Fatty Acid (FFA)

What FFA measures in shea butter, why it rises in kernels, and how it is tested.

Colour Grading

Colour as an appearance specification, not a grade.

Shea Butter vs Cocoa Butter

Melting-point contrast for chocolate and CBE.

Shea Butter vs Kokum Butter

Harder butter, higher melt.

COA Interpreter

Read the slip-point line on a COA.

Unrefined Grade A Shea Butter

Typical West African melt for cosmetics.

Frequently asked questions

References & standards

AOCS Official Method Cc 3-25 — Slip Melting Point, AOCS Standard Open Tube — American Oil Chemists' Society
ISO 6321 — Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of melting point in open capillary tubes (slip point) — International Organization for Standardization
AOCS Official Method Cc 18-80 — Dropping Point — American Oil Chemists' Society
Honfo, F.G. et al. (2014). Nutritional composition of shea products and chemical properties of shea butter: a review — Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition
Maranz, S. et al. (2004). Effect of climate and agroecological zone on shea butter fat composition — Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society

Last reviewed September 2026 by EMI Agro Industries QC team.

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