Like wine, cinnamon has grades.
And like wine, the rarest grades are the finest.
Every Ceylon cinnamon quill is graded by the diameter of the finished stick. The thinner the quill, the younger and more carefully selected the inner bark. Thinner grades are rarer, more labor-intensive to produce, and finer in character.
Sri Lanka's official grading system, established by the country's export authority, has nine main tiers. The top five are the ones serious buyers know.
Alba
≤10mm 8–10xThe finest grade. Thin as a pencil, ultra-smooth, delicate aroma. Less than 10–15% of total production. Prized in international fine-food markets.
C5 Special
10–12mm 6–8xPremium quality. Mild sweet flavor, slightly thicker than Alba, still elegant. Popular for export and luxury retail.
C5
12–14mm 5–6xSmooth, refined, widely sought. The workhorse premium grade.
C4
14–16mm 4–5xWell-balanced, fuller-bodied. Excellent for cooking where a robust cinnamon note is wanted.
M5 / M4
16–19mm 3–4xCoarser texture, more rustic character. Industrial applications, tea blends.
Across every grade, true Ceylon cinnamon trades at a meaningful premium over commodity cassia. Quality has a price. So does authenticity.
PLACEHOLDER: Multiplier ranges are based on average wholesale market data from late 2025. To be refreshed periodically as commodity prices shift.
Our launch grade
PLACEHOLDER: True Ceylon's launch SKU is [GRADE TO BE CONFIRMED] grade. This is the estate's primary export grade. The balance of quality, character, and yield that best represents what southern Sri Lanka can produce at scale.
Why grades exist
All Ceylon cinnamon comes from the same species — Cinnamomum verum — and often from the same tree. The grade depends on which part of the bark was used. The youngest, thinnest inner bark, taken from young shoots, becomes Alba. The thicker outer layers, from more mature growth, become C4, M5, M4.
Hand-rolling tolerances mean grade boundaries are not absolute. A skilled peeler in Sri Lanka can tell Alba from C5 Special by sight and feel. Most North American consumers cannot. This site exists, in part, to change that.