Milling wheat is a commodity traded against a small set of numbers, and the two that decide most of the price are protein content and falling number. Protein is a proxy for the gluten strength a miller needs to make a flour that performs. Falling number measures the alpha-amylase activity that results from sprouting in the field, and a low falling number means the grain will make a sticky, poorly structured dough regardless of how good the protein looks. Around those sit test weight, moisture, impurities and mycotoxin limits. Everything else in a wheat contract is delivery terms and tolerance clauses, which are also where the arguments happen.
Seasonality and availability
Harvest runs through July and into August. Quality across a harvest is decided by the weather in the last weeks before cutting: rain at that point drives falling numbers down and can move a large part of a crop from milling grade to feed grade in a season. Grain is stored and shipped through the year, and quality is assessed per lot rather than per crop.
What the buyer checks at intake
- Protein content on a defined moisture basis, with the method stated.
- Falling number, which is the sprouting indicator.
- Test weight in kilograms per hectolitre.
- Moisture content, which drives storage stability and weight.
- Impurities, broken grains and foreign matter against the contract tolerances.
- Mycotoxin results against the limits of Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006.
- Insect activity and treatment history.
Related standards and routes
Bulk by road, rail, container or vessel depending on volume and destination. Grain trades carry their own documentary practice, including inspection at loading by an agreed surveyor.