Celery Specs to Agree Before You Order

Which celery specifications should a purchase contract fix?

A celery purchase contract should fix nine points: variety, grade, size basis, tolerance, trimming, packing, net weight, carton marking and the checks made on arrival. Leaving any of them open means the buyer and the supplier may each be right about a different product.

Contract point	What to write down	Typical reference
Variety	Type of celery, and “celery other than celeriac”	Buyer’s market requirement
Grade	Grade name and the standard it refers to	GB/T 47157-2026, UNECE or contract text
Size basis	Whether size is measured by length or by weight, and the class	The standard named under “Grade”
Tolerance	Share of produce allowed outside the grade or size, and how it is counted	The standard named under “Grade”
Trimming	How leaves and roots are trimmed before packing	Contract text
Packing	Bundle, bag or carton, and units per carton	Contract text
Net weight	Net weight per carton and how it is checked	Contract text
Carton marking	Information printed on each package, and the language	Destination-market rules
Arrival checks	What is inspected on arrival and how results are shared	Contract text

The third column matters most. A grade name on its own can mean different things under different standards, so the contract should always name the reference document next to the grade.

What is GB/T 47157-2026?

GB/T 47157-2026, Grades and specifications of celery, is a recommended (voluntary) Chinese national standard; it is not an export or import requirement. The facts below come from the official standards information platform.

Item	Record on the official platform
Standard number	GB/T 47157-2026
English title	Grades and specifications of celery
Type	National standard, recommended (the “/T” in GB/T)
Status	Current
Published	27 February 2026
In effect from	1 September 2026
Responsible committee	TC467, national vegetable standardisation committee
Competent department	Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs

Because the standard is voluntary, a supplier does not have to grade to it. A buyer can, however, write it into the contract as the agreed reference, which turns its grade and size terms into contract terms for that order.

How does GB/T 47157-2026 grade and size celery?

The standard sets basic requirements that all celery must meet and three grades above them: special grade, grade I and grade II. It sizes celery in two ways.

Celery form	Size basis in the standard	Size classes
Whole celery	Length of the longest petiole	Large, medium, small
Cut celery	Weight of the plant	Large, medium, small

The standard also sets quality and size tolerances for each grade and rules for marking and packing. For the exact limits, refer to the applicable standard text. These descriptions explain the standard, not AzureRoute Produce’s own specification. Grades and sizes we supply are confirmed per order; see our fresh celery from Shandong page.

Which EU rules apply to celery quality and marking?

In the EU, celery has no specific marketing standard, so the general marketing standard in Regulation (EU) 2023/2429 applies. Article 4 of that regulation lists the products with specific standards (apples, citrus fruit, kiwifruit, lettuces and endives, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, sweet peppers, table grapes, tomatoes and bananas), and celery is not on the list. Under Article 2, a holder who can show conformity with an applicable UNECE standard is considered to meet the general standard.

General marketing standard point	What Regulation (EU) 2023/2429 says
Minimum requirements	Intact, sound, clean, practically free from pests, free from pest damage affecting the flesh, free of abnormal external moisture, free of foreign smell or taste
Condition	Able to withstand transport and handling and arrive in satisfactory condition
Tolerance	10% by number or weight not meeting minimum requirements in each lot, of which not more than 2% decay
Marking: identification	Name and physical address of the packer and/or dispatcher, or an official code mark
Marking: origin	Full name of the country of origin, in a language understood by consumers in the destination country

Which EU plant health rules apply to celery?

Plant health rules for celery sit in Regulation (EU) 2019/2072, separately from quality rules. Annex VII, point 28 requires an official statement that leafy celery (CN 0709 40 00) from third countries either originates in a country recognised as free from the leaf miners Liriomyza sativae and Nemorimyza maculosa, or was officially inspected immediately before export and found free of them. Annex XI, Part A lists leafy celery from third countries other than Switzerland among the products that need a phytosanitary certificate. Our page on EU import requirements for fresh vegetables covers these rules alongside residue limits and marketing rules.

What should buyers check when celery arrives?

Arrival checks should test the points the contract fixed, using the reference the contract named. A practical list:

Check	Compared against
Grade and size class	The named standard or contract specification
Share outside grade or size	The agreed tolerance and counting method
Trimming and condition	Contract text and minimum requirements
Net weight per carton	The declared net weight
Carton marking	Contract text and destination-market marking rules
Accompanying documents	The document list agreed after the enquiry

How checks and documents are agreed for each order is explained on our quality and traceability page.

Key takeaways

• Write grade, size basis, tolerance, trimming, packing, net weight and marking into the contract, each with its reference document.
• GB/T 47157-2026 is a recommended Chinese standard in effect since 1 September 2026; it is not an export requirement.
• It defines three grades and sizes whole celery by petiole length and cut celery by weight; refer to the standard for limits.
• In the EU, celery follows the general marketing standard of Regulation (EU) 2023/2429, and UNECE conformity is accepted.
• Leafy celery for the EU needs a phytosanitary certificate and the leaf miner statement under Regulation (EU) 2019/2072.

To agree a celery specification for your market, send your requirements on WhatsApp at +86 19931677117 or through the request a quote form.