United States

Department of

Agriculture

Agricultural 

Marketing

Service

Fruit and

Vegetable

Division

Fresh

Products

Branch

United States Standards

for Grades of

Cabbage for Processing

Effective January 17, 1944

(Reprinted - January 1997)
 Packing of the product in conformity with the requirements of these standards shall not excuse failure to comply 1

with the provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act or with applicable State laws and regulations.

1

United States Standards for Grades of Cabbage for Processing 1

General

51.4120 General. 

Grades 

51.4121 U.S. No. 1. 

51.4122 U.S. No. 2. 

Culls 

51.4123 Culls. 

Tolerances 

51.4124 Tolerances. 

Definitions 

51.4125 Well trimmed. 

51.4126 Seedstems. 

51.4127 Damage. 

51.4128 Soft. 

51.4129 Serious damage. 

General 

§51.4120 General. 

(a) The accompanying grades for cabbage are intended to facilitate transactions between growers

and processors who may wish to use a purchasing system based upon the quality of cabbage

delivered. These grades are an outgrowth of the widely accepted principle that price should be

directly proportional to quality. The grower who delivers high quality cabbage deserves a

premium price because such cabbage enables the processor to pack a better quality product. 

(b) In the application of these standards it is assumed that in most instances sellers will not sort

their cabbage into separate lots of U.S. No. 1 and U.S. No. 2 grades before delivery to the buyer,

and that the buyer will pay a certain price for the percentage of each in the lot as determined by

inspection. Upon delivery, the inspector will simply sort representative samples taken from each

lot, and determine the percentage of each grade. Final settlement would then be made by applying

the percentage of each grade to the total weight of the lot, and then applying the contract prices

established for each grade. Under such a procedure, there is no need for tolerances. 

(c) It will be noted, however, that the standards provide tolerances but these apply only when a

grower or shipper has actually sorted his cabbage into separate lots of U.S. No. 1 and U.S. No. 2

grades before delivery to the buyer. 

Grades 

§51.4121 U.S. No. 1. 

"U.S. No. 1" consists of heads of cabbage which are firm, and well trimmed; which are free from
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soft rot, seedstems, and from damage caused by bursting, discoloration, freezing, disease, birds,

insects, mechanical or other means. Unless otherwise specified, the weight of each head of

cabbage shall be not less than 3 pounds. (See §51.4124.) 

§51.4122 U.S. No. 2.

"U.S. No. 2" consists of heads of cabbage which are not soft; which are fairly well trimmed, free

from soft rot, seedstems, and from serious damage caused by bursting, discoloration, freezing,

disease, birds, insects, mechanical or other means. Unless otherwise specified, the weight of each

head shall be not less than 2 pounds. (See §51.4124.) 

Culls 

§51.4123 Culls. 

"Culls" are heads of cabbage which do not meet the requirements of either of the foregoing

grades. 

Tolerances 

§51.4124 Tolerances.

(a) For the purpose of determining compliance with one of the foregoing grades the following

tolerances, by weight, are provided in order to allow for variations incident to proper grading and

handling: 

(1) For defects. Ten percent for cabbage in any lot which fails to meet the requirements of the

grade, including therein not more than 3 percent for cabbage which is affected by soft rot and

including in this latter amount not more than 1 percent for cabbage which is seriously damaged by

soft rot. 

(2) For size. Ten percent for cabbage in any lot which fails to meet the specified minimum size. 

(b) In the application of these standards to determine the percentages of cabbage in any lot which

meet the requirements of the respective grades no tolerances apply. 

Definitions 

§51.4125 Well trimmed. 

"Well trimmed" means that the head shall be free from loose leaves and the stems shall be not

longer than one-half inch. Loose leaves shall be considered those leaves which do not closely

enfold the head. Heads of cabbage which show evidence of having been well trimmed in the field

shall be considered as meeting the trimming requirements although they may have some leaves

which have become loose in the process of ordinary handling. 

§51.4126 Seedstems. 

"Seedstems" means those heads which have seed stalks showing or in which the formation of seed

stalks has plainly begun. 

§51.4127 Damage. 

"Damage" means any defect, or any combination of defects, which materially detracts from the

processing quality of the cabbage, or which cannot be removed in the ordinary process of

trimming without a loss of more than 5 percent, by weight, in excess of that which would occur if

the head of cabbage were perfect. 

§51.4128 Soft. 

"Soft" means loosely formed or lacking compactness. 

§51.4129 Serious damage. 

"Serious damage" means any defect, or any combination of defects, which seriously detracts from
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the processing quality of the cabbage, or which cannot be removed in the ordinary process of

trimming without a loss of more than 15 percent, by weight, in excess of that which would occur

if the head of cabbage were perfect.