In-Shell Walnuts

30 mm, 32 mm & 34 mm+ — Chandler & Hartley

In-shell walnuts are graded on shell diameter and shell appearance rather than on kernel colour, and the screens that matter are 30 mm, 32 mm and 34 mm and above, with larger nuts commanding a clear premium for display. Chandler is the dominant Californian variety and is prized for a light, clean, well-sealed shell and a pale kernel inside; Hartley is the older standard, slightly more variable. Beyond size, buyers contract on shell colour and cleanliness, the percentage of splits and broken shells, kernel fill — an underfilled nut is a customer complaint waiting to happen — and moisture at ≤ 8%, which is higher than for kernels because the shell itself carries moisture.

The honest arithmetic on in-shell is the thing most new buyers miss: roughly half the gross weight is shell, so a price per tonne that looks dramatically cheaper than kernels is not the bargain it appears once you calculate cost per kilo of edible kernel, and you pay freight and storage on the shell either way. What you are buying instead is the occasion — festive and Christmas retail, Diwali and New Year gifting, traditional markets where cracking nuts at the table is part of the product, and bulk bin retail. In-shell also stores considerably better than kernels, because the shell protects the oil from air, which is a genuine advantage for a seasonal programme held for months. For anything baked, ground, packed as kernel or processed, buy kernels and skip the shell entirely. CBIL supplies against certification of size screen, moisture, kernel fill, splits and shell condition, on FOB, CFR and CIF terms.