United States Department of Agriculture

Agricultural Marketing Service

Federal Grain Inspection Service

U.S. Standards September 2007

Distribution: FGIS, OSP, Industry Originating Office: FMD PPMAB

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Historical Compilation of Changes in the U.S. Standards for Rice

Established U.S. Standards for Rice, effective September 15, 1927, signed into Public 

Law 522 by W. M. Jardine, Secretary of Agriculture

Contents

Historical Compilation of Changes in the U.S. Standards for Rice 1

Revised effective 12/31/1948 (13 FR 9479) 2

Revised effective 1/1/1968 (32 FR 14632) 2

Revised effective 1/1/1968, ( 32 FR 20837) 3

Revised effective 6/10/1968 (33 FR 6971) 3

Revised effective 7/1/1972, (37 FR 12122) 3

Revised effective 6/24/1974, (39 FR 23984) 6

Revised effective 6/1/1975, (40 FR 10472) 6

Revised effective 8/11/1975, (40 FR 39649) 7

Revised effective 8/28/1977, (42 FR 40868) 7

Revised effective 1/16/1980, (43 FR 73007) 7

Revised effective 1/1/1980, 45 FR 46332) 8

Revised effective 7/31/1981, (46 FR 39608) 8

Revised effective 9/91982, (47 FR 34515) 8

Revised effective 7/5/1983, (48 FR 24857) 8

Revised effective 4/11/1988, (53 FR 3751) 8

Revised effective 7/1/1989, (54 FR 21401) 9

Revised effective 12/14/1989, (54 FR 51344) 9

Revised effective 12/2/1991, (56 FR 55977) 9

Revised effective12/23/1993, (58 FR 68015) 9

Revised effective 5/23/1994, (59 FR 26585) 9

Revised effective 12/1/02, (67 FR 61249) 9

Revised effective 12/1/02, 67 FR 62313 9
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General Provisions

September 2007

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Revised effective 12/31/1948 (13 FR 9479)

New regulations for the inspection and certification of rice and other agricultural 

commodities under the AMA of 1946 and the so-called Farm Products Inspection Act.

Revised effective 1/3/1966 (30 FR 14965)

Changed milling degrees to well milled, reasonably well milled, lightly milled, and least 

loosely milled.

Revised effective 1/1/1968 (32 FR 14632)

(1) Changed format of Standards. 

(2) Introduced a new system of establishing classes of rice on the basis of size and 

shape of the kernel (long, medium, short) instead of on the basis of variety. 

(3) Changed terms “contrasting classes” to “other classes”; “unhulled kernels” to “paddy 

kernels”; “removable foreign material” to “dockage”; and “unpolished” to “undermilled”. 

(4) Deleted “unhulled kernels of rice” and the definition for “rice of noncontrasting 

classes”. 

(5) Provided definitions for “whole kernels”, “large broken kernels,”

and “paddy kernels”. 

(6) Provided that mechanical sizing of kernels be augmented by

handpicking. 

(7) Provided in the definition of head rice that it shall consist of whole kernels of

milled rice and 4.0 % of broken kernels. 

(8) Made uniform the amount of chalky kernels allowed in short and medium grain. 

(9) Increased red rice and damaged kernels in some RR and MR; increased limits for 

seeds and heat-damaged in RR; and increased limits for seeds, heat-damaged, and 

paddy kernels in MR. 

(10) Increased limits of broken kernels removed by No. 5 plate and that pass through a 

4/64 round hole sieve in SHMR. 

(11) Deleted the phrase “not more that 50.0 percent broken kernels removed with a No. 

6 sizing plate” from SCR. 

(12) Made brown rice, when found in milled, to function as paddy kernels. 

(13) Increased limits for broken kernels removed by No. 5 sizing plate for most classes 

of milled rice. 
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General Provisions

September 2007

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(14) Separated grading tables. 

(15) Established limits for paddy kernels and seeds in classes of brown rice. 

(16) Established sample grade factor for BMR. 

(17) Made color requirements for Parboiled rice. 

(18) Deleted phrase “before the hulls are removed” from parboiled rice. 

(19) Changed definition of parboiled brown rice. 

(20) Provided the method of moisture shall be of approved devise or one that gives 

equivalent results. 

(21) Deleted reference to moisture meter conversion charts.

Revised effective 1/1/1968, ( 32 FR 20837) 

Changed the moisture limit in milled rice in 32 FR 14632 dated 10/20/1967

Revised effective 6/10/1968 (33 FR 6971) 

Changed the minimum milling requirements for US No.4 from “lightly milled” to 

“reasonably well milled”. Changed the minimum milling requirement for U.S. Nos. 5 

and 6 from “loosely milled” to “lightly milled”. Deleted “loosely milled”. Provided that the 

degree of milling shall be shown under “Remarks” on all inspection certificates of grade 

for milled rice (with the exception of special grade “under milled rice.”)

Revised effective 7/1/1972, (37 FR 12122) 

In rough, brown, and milled rice standards 

(1) Deleted the section numbers under “Terms Defined” and arranged the definition in 

alphabetical order 

(2) Delete the definition for “Grades” the term is adequately defined in “Grades, Grade 

Requirements, and Grade Designations.” 

(3) Provided a new section “References”, 

(4) Provided new section “Interpretive line samples”, 

(5) Added new term “Types of rice and changed the term “Rice of other classes” to 

“Other types” 

(6) Provided that the class (type) of broken kernels would be determined on the basis 

of width, thickness, and shape – the length/width ration used in determining the class 

(type) of whole kernels cannot be used for determining the class (type) of broken kernels. 
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General Provisions

September 2007

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(7) Amended the definition of “Rice of other classes” to provide that when broken 

kernels of long grain are present in medium or short grain, and when broken kernels of 

medium grain or short grain are present in long grain they would be considered “other 

class”, but when broken kernels of medium grain are present in short grain and when 

broken kernels of short grain are present in medium grain they would not be considered 

“other types.” 

(8) Redefine “damaged kernels” so that “heat-damaged kernels shall function only as 

heat-damaged. 

(9) Redefined “heat-damaged kernels” to provide that parboiled kernels shall function as 

heatdamaged when they are as dark as, or darker in color than, the interpretive line for 

heat-damaged kernels. 

(10) Provided a definition for “Ungelatinized kernels”. 

(11) Provide that mechanical sizing of kernels shall be hand adjusted. 

(12) Provided that moisture content be determined in accordance with prescribed 

procedures. 

(13) Provided that percentages be stated to the nearest whole, tenth, or hundredth and 

rounded in accordance to prescribed procedures. 

(14) Deleted references to “Agriculture Research Service.” 

(15) Provided minor procedural and editorial changes.

Revisions to rough rice and brown rice standards. 

(1) Deleted the term “head rice” and express milling yield as whole kernels and total 

milled rice. 

(2) Deleted the term “total milled rice” as it is included in the term “milling yield”. 

(3) Redefine “milling yield” by substituting “whole kernels” for “head rice” and specifying 

that the milling shall be on a “well milled” basis. 

(4) Provided a definition for “smutty kernels”. 

(5) Provided a definition for “milling requirements”.

(6) Provided that the “milling yield determination” shall be made according to prescribed

procedures and specify the equipment used. 

(7) Provided that “percentages” relating to milling yield shall be stated to the nearest 

whole percent. 
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General Provisions

September 2007

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(8) Provided a special grade “smutty” for rough and brown rice.

Revisions to rough rice and milled rice standards. 

Changed the definition of “red rice”.

Revisions to brown rice and milled rice standards. 

(1) Added “hulls, germs, and bran” to the definition of “foreign material.” 

(2) Deleted “/64” from all sieve designations and the term “No.” from all sizing plate 

designations. 

(3) Provided the determination for broken kernels shall be as prescribed in Rice 

Inspection Manual. 

(4) Provided in the grade tables that plates should be used for southern production rice 

and sieves should be used for western production rice.

Revisions to rough rice standards. 

(1) Redefined “Classes”. 

(2) Deleted references to the terms “large broken kernels,” “dockage,” and “test weight 

per bushel”. 

(3) Provided that the basis of determination for the special grade “Parboiled rough 

rice” and types of rice when determining class shall be the whole kernels of milled rice 

produced in milling of rough rice to a well-milled degree. 

(4) Provided that the factor “Smutty kernels” be determined on the basis of rice 

remaining after cleaning and shelling. 

Revisions to brown rice standards. 

(1) Provided that the “U.S. Standards for Brown Rice” shall be the “U.S. Standards for 

Brown Rice for Processing.” 

(2) Deleted all references to “dead weevils or other dead insects, insect webbing, or 

insect refuse.” 

(3) Raised the moisture limit in numerical grades from 14.0 to 14.5 percent. 

(4) Provided that kernels damaged by heat; parboiled kernels in nonparboiled rice; heat 

damaged kernels; and special grade Parboiled brown rice be determined on the basis of 

the brown rice after milling to a well-milled degree. 
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General Provisions

September 2007

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(5) Changed the term “milled rice” to “well-milled kernels”. 

(6) Provided definitions for “brown rice” and “Brown rice for Processing”. 

(7) Deleted all reference to “milling yield of broken brown rice”, “Second Head milled 

rice”, “Screenings milled rice”, “Brewers milled rice”, “4/64 sieve”, “5 1⁄2/64 sieve”, “6/64 

sieve”, and “No. 5 sizing plate”. 

(8) Deleted in the definition of “Red rice” the statement “kernels and pieces of kernels of 

rice which are distinctly red in color.”

Revisions to milled rice standards. 

Redefined the special grade “Under-milled milled rice.” 

(2) Defined “Well-milled kernels.” 

(3) Defined a “30 sieve” material. 

(4) Raised the limits for chalky kernels. 

(5) Provided limits for heat-damaged kernels, kernels damaged by heat, and parboiled 

kernels in nonparboiled rice and 30 sieve material for the classes Screenings Milled 

Rice and Brewers Milled Rice.

 (6) Provided a definition for “Brown rice”. 

(7) Deleted the requirement for the degree of milling to be shown in the “Remarks” 

section of inspection certificates. 

(8) Redefined “Milled rice” to provide that “paddy kernels” be included in limit for seeds, 

or foreign material.

Revised effective 6/24/1974, (39 FR 23984) 

Redesignated “Rice Inspection Manual” to “Inspection Handbook HB 918-11”

Revised effective 6/1/1975, (40 FR 10472) 

Final rule adopted the proposals done after study from 38 FR 18391 where the 

inspectors would, upon request from the applicant, show the grade using the old 

standards and the proposed standards for a period of 6 months after the effective date. 

The proposals were 

(1) Define “rough rice” and alphabetically list all other definitions for ease in locating.

(2) Discontinue use of No. 22 sieve for long grain and the No. 4 sieve for medium and 

short grain RR in the laboratory cleaning for RR produced in the South. 
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General Provisions

September 2007

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(3) Change the basis of determination for quality factors such as seeds, Heat-damaged 

Kernels, chalky kernels, other types , types of rice when determining class, color, 

and the special grade Parboiled RR from “whole kernels” to “ whole and large broken 

kernels”. 

(4) Provide a definition of “Whole and Large Broken Kernels” 

(5) Mechanize the determination and grading of “whole and large broken kernels” by 

use of mechanical rice sizing devices 

(6) Define a “6 plate” and “6 sieve” 

(7) Increase the allowances for certain factors 

(8) Change the definition of chalky kernels, classes, damaged kernels, heat-damaged 

kernels and, 

(9) Change the grade designation of the class Mixed Rough Rice 

(10) Add the section “Temporary modifications in equipment and procedures”.

Revised effective 8/11/1975, (40 FR 39649) 

Final rule reversed the procedural change in removing dockage from RR as per 39 FR 

28896 using plates and reinstated the use of Nos. 22 and 4 sieves.

Revised effective 8/28/1977, (42 FR 40868) 

Final rule 

(1) Provide rice inspection applicants with an optional grade designation for rice 

certification. 

(2) Delete total broken kernels as a gradedetermining factor in brown rice for 

processing. 

(3) Change the limits of other types of rice in U.S. No. 5 and No. 6 so that it applies only 

to whole kernels. 

(4) Made editorial revision that are intended to improve the clarity and consistency of 

the standards and to further facilitate the marketing of rice.

Revised effective 1/16/1980, (43 FR 73007) 

Final rule to 44 FR 28805 

The term “paddy kernels” was redefined for purpose of clarity. The new definitions 

specify the amount of hull which must be adhering to rice before it is considered a 

paddy kernel.
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General Provisions

September 2007

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Revised effective 1/1/1980, 45 FR 46332) 

Suspension Action to suspend a portion of the definition of milled rice which requires 

that a part of the germ be removed from the kernel in order to further study. The 

suspension provided an opportunity to evaluate whether such change will better 

facilitate the marketing of rice, particularly rice which has been milled to a lightly

milled degree.

Revised effective 7/31/1981, (46 FR 39608) 

Emergency final rule. Extend the suspension action of 45 FR 46332 beyond original 

date.

Revised effective 9/91982, (47 FR 34515) 

Final rule to reflect changes in organizational structure and responsibility (deleted 

references to Agricultural Marketing Service and inserted the words Federal Grain 

Inspection Service), changes in titles of handbooks, and deletion of other related

obsolete information.

Revised effective 7/5/1983, (48 FR 24857) 

Final rule of regular review of regulations - No changes made to RR and BR. MR 

revised to amend the definitions of milled and coated milled rice.

Revised effective 4/11/1988, (53 FR 3751) 

Final rule to completely rewrite and reorganize Subpart A of Part 68 of the regulations. 

The changes combined and consolidated compatible requirements, incorporate many 

procedures, simplify the overall language, conform certain provisions to present 

marketing practices, and facilitate the use of the regulations. This proposal would 

remove the requirement that all factor information determined during the inspection be

reported on official certificate, and remove certain definitions and certain provisions 

that are no longer necessary. It would establish provisions for providing a service on 

nongraded commodities permitting appeal inspection services to be performed on a 

new sample when insect fragments are present, and for applications, terminations, and 

surrender of licenses issued by the Service. (No original document - See Proposal 53 

FR 52469)
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General Provisions

September 2007

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Revised effective 7/1/1989, (54 FR 21401) 

Final rule:

(1) Incorporated insect infestation

tolerances in standards, 

(2) Revised the rounding procedures on percentages to mathematical

procedures, 

(3) Eliminated many of the footnotes throughout the standards, 

(4) Made other miscellaneous changes for uniform provision and language.

Revised effective 12/14/1989, (54 FR 51344) 

Final rule to amend subparts B through H and to correct nonsubstantive errors in the 

CFR’s. 

Revised effective 12/2/1991, (56 FR 55977) 

Final rule to establish special grade glutinous.

Revised standards so the factor “chalky kernels” does not apply to rice assigned this 

special grade.

Revised effective12/23/1993, (58 FR 68015) 

Final rule to define aromatic and adds special grade designation in RR, BR, and MR.

Revised effective 5/23/1994, (59 FR 26585) 

Final rule from comments received on 59 FR 45295 review of Subpart A showed no 

changes needed.

Revised effective 12/1/02, (67 FR 61249)

Direct final rule to establish and add “Hard Milled” to the milling requirements and 

eliminate “lightly milled” milling degree.

Revised effective 12/1/02, 67 FR 62313 

Corrected dates to 67 FR 61249 in “Supplemental Information”.