Tomato Grades and Standards

Grades of Tomatoes

  1. U.S. No. 1 consists of tomatoes which meet the following requirements:
    1. Basic requirements: 
      1. Similar varietal characteristics;
      2. Mature;
      3. Not overripe or soft;
      4. Clean;
      5. Well developed;
      6. Fairly well formed; and,
      7. Fairly smooth.
    2. Free from:
      1. Decay;
      2. Freezing injury; and
      3. Sunscald.
    3. Not damaged by any other cause.
    4. For tolerances see §51.1861.

  2. U.S. Combination consists of a combination of U.S. No. 1 and U.S. No. 2 tomatoes: Provided, That at least 60 percent, by count, meet the requirements of U.S. No. 1 grade.

    1. For tolerances see §51.1861.

  3. U.S. No. 2 consists of tomatoes which meet the following requirements:

    1. Basic requirements:

      1. Similar varietal characteristics;

      2. Mature;

      3. Not overripe or soft;

      4. Clean;

      5. Well developed;

      6. Reasonably well formed; and,

      7. Not more than slightly rough.

    2. Free from:

      1. Decay;

      2. Freezing injury; and,

      3. Sunscald.

    3. Not seriously damaged by any other cause.

    4. For tolerances see §51.1861.

  4. U.S. No. 3 consists of tomatoes which meet the following requirements:

    1. Basic requirements:

      1. Similar varietal characteristics;

      2. Mature;

      3. Not overripe or soft;

      4. Clean;

      5. Well developed; and,

      6. May be misshapen.

    2. Free from:

      1. Decay; and,

      2. Freezing injury.

    3. Not seriously damaged by:

      1. Sunscald.

    4. Not very seriously damaged by any other cause.

    5. For tolerances see §51.1861.

Visual Aids

Unofficial Tomato Visual Aid (pdf)

Official Visual Aids are available for Purchase.  See How to Purchase Visual Aids for more details.

Detailed standards, Inspection Instructions & Other Resources: