Ceylon cinnamon — true cinnamon, Cinnamomum verum — is graded differently to almost anything else in the spice trade, and it trips up a lot of first-time buyers. The grading system isn't about "good vs bad" cinnamon so much as it is about quill size, bark thickness, and consistency, each suited to a different use case.
Why Ceylon cinnamon is graded at all
Unlike cassia (the thicker, harsher bark often sold simply as "cinnamon" in supermarkets), true Ceylon cinnamon bark is thin, soft, and rolled by hand into delicate multi-layered quills. Because the bark is processed this way, quill diameter and bark thickness naturally vary — and the grading system exists to sort that variation into consistent, tradeable categories.
The main grade categories
Ceylon cinnamon grading generally falls into a few recognised tiers, based on quill diameter and quality of bark:
- Alba — the finest and thinnest grade, made from the most tender inner bark. Prized for its delicate flavour and pale colour.
- C5 Special / C5 — a premium continental grade, thin quills with consistent rolling, widely used for high-quality retail packaging.
- C4 — a step below C5 in fineness, still a well-regarded commercial grade.
- M5 / M4 — Mexican-grade classifications, slightly different rolling and sizing standards, common in quills destined for the Mexican and Central American markets.
- H1 / H2 — hamburg grades, generally used in the European market with their own sizing conventions.
- Quillings and Chips — broken pieces and bark fragments left over from quill production. Lower cost, still genuine Ceylon cinnamon, typically used for grinding into powder rather than sold as whole quills.
Each of these grades follows established diameter and quality benchmarks used across the Sri Lankan cinnamon trade, allowing buyers in different regions to order according to the conventions their own market expects.
The grade you need often comes down to how you're using it — a specialty retailer selling whole quills wants a very different grade to a manufacturer grinding cinnamon into a spice blend.
What buyers should actually ask for
Rather than assuming "the best grade" is always the right choice, it's worth thinking about end use:
- Selling whole quills at retail, where appearance matters? Alba or C5 grades present best.
- Manufacturing, blending, or grinding into powder? Lower grades or quillings often make more commercial sense, since the bark is broken down regardless.
- Exporting to a specific regional market? It's worth checking whether that market has its own conventional grade expectations (as with the M and H grades above).
Sourcing Ceylon cinnamon through Zahibro
Cinnamon is one of the core categories in our Sri Lankan spice portfolio, alongside cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, mace, coriander and fenugreek. We work with buyers to source according to the grade and use case that fits their requirement, with private labelling available for buyers building their own spice brand.
Sourcing Ceylon cinnamon or other spices?
Tell us the grade and quantity you need and we'll follow up.