Egyptian Medjool Dates: Grades, Sizes, Packing and Supply 2026/27

Last updated: 2 November 2026

PEI Trade exports Egyptian Medjool dates by the container to registered importers. We offer three grades (Premium, Delight and Classic), defined by skin separation, in six sizes from Babysmall to SuperJumbo and a Mix of sizes, packed in 5 kg cartons or in 8 kg cartons of 250 g, 500 g or 1 kg packs. A 40 ft high-cube reefer holds about 20 to 20.5 tonnes in 5 kg cartons, and every price is quoted per order.

This guide puts the specifications importers ask us about in one place: fruit weight by size, what each grade means, container loads, shipping documents, payment terms and what we need to send a quote. The tables carry the numbers; the text explains how to use them.

Medjool is written many ways, and this page covers all of them: Medjoul, Majdool, Majdoul, Medjul and Mejhoul; مجدول in Arabic; королевские финики (“royal dates”) in Russian; Medjul hurma in Turkish; মেডজুল খেজুর in Bengali; मेडजूल खजूर in Hindi; and kurma Medjool in Malay and Indonesian.

In this guide

Medjool grade and size table

Size and grade are two separate choices. Size is the weight of a single fruit; grade is how far the fruit’s skin has lifted away from the flesh. Every quote names both, for example “Premium, Jumbo, 5 kg carton”.

Fruit weight is given in grams per fruit because that is the only fair way to compare sizes between packers: size names are not standardised across origins. Our Medjool specification is 18–27% moisture (18–22% for Premium on request). Sugar has no fixed figure: it rises as moisture falls, and it is measured on samples. Grades are explained in detail below, and the pack options and container loads are in the packing table.

Why Egyptian Medjool

Egypt is the world’s largest date producer. FAO data, reported by Databoks, put its 2023 crop at 1.87 million tonnes, ahead of Saudi Arabia at 1.64 million and Algeria at 1.32 million (FAO data via Databoks). For the 2026/27 season, an Egyptian industry estimate reported by FreshPlaza puts the national crop at 2.1 million tonnes across all varieties (FreshPlaza, 1 Sep 2026).

Medjool is a smaller, fast-growing part of that crop. In July 2026, the commercial manager of an Egyptian Medjool grower told FreshPlaza that the country’s Medjool harvest is projected to reach at least 60,000 tonnes, and that demand remains active in his company’s main export markets in Europe, East Asia and the CIS (FreshPlaza, 13 Jul 2026).

What this means for an importer:

• Volume: FreshPlaza reports that national volumes are expected to rise as more growers enter the sector each season.
• Timing: new-crop Egyptian Medjool is available from August and stored fruit ships all year, including the months before Ramadan 2027, which is expected to begin around 8 February 2027 (see the season section below).
• Transit: Egypt ships from both its Mediterranean and Red Sea coasts; transit time depends on the shipping line and the destination port, and we give it with each quote.

For the other Egyptian varieties and the wider dates trade, see our Egyptian dates export guide.

Medjool sizes and the names buyers use

We sort Egyptian Medjool into six sizes: Babysmall, Small, Medium, Large, Jumbo and SuperJumbo. We also pack a Mix of sizes, from Small to SuperJumbo, in every grade. Each size is a band of fruit weight in grams, shown in the first table: Babysmall 8–13 g, Small 14–16 g, Medium 17–18 g, Large 19–21 g, Jumbo 22–23 g and SuperJumbo 24–27 g. Weights are rounded to the nearest gram: a fruit of up to 18.5 g counts as Medium, and up to 23.5 g as Jumbo.

Buyers often ask for “Super Jumbo” or “Jumbo” by name, but packers in different origins use the same name for different weights. Ask any supplier for the weight per fruit in grams, or the number of fruits per kilogram, and compare offers on that basis. To check a size on arrival, weigh 100 fruits taken from several cartons and divide by 100.

The table below maps the names and spellings buyers send us to the product and sizes on this page.

Medjool grades and how to check them

Our grade describes skin separation: how far the skin of a fruit has lifted away from the flesh. It is measured on the fruit itself, not as a tolerance across the lot.

• Premium: 0–12% skin separation.
• Delight: 12–45% skin separation.
• Classic: 45–50% skin separation.

The grade is printed on every carton. All three grades are available in every size and in the Mix; availability for your shipping month is confirmed with each quote. We don’t publish lot tolerances, crop year or shelf life; ask us and we will check what can be confirmed for your order. Each grade has its own photos and videos, and we send them on request for the grade you are considering.

How to check a Medjool shipment

1. Carton marks: compare the grade and size printed on the cartons with your contract.
2. Fruit weight: weigh 100 fruits taken from several cartons and divide by 100, or count the fruits in one kilogram.
3. Skin separation: look at how far the skin has lifted on each fruit and compare it with the grade.
4. Moisture: test with a moisture meter or a laboratory against the agreed specification: 18–27%, or 18–22% for Premium when agreed.
5. Condition: check the flesh colour and texture, and look for insects, mould and fermentation.
6. Where to check: do these checks at loading in Egypt, yourself or through an inspection company, so any issue can be raised before the container sails (see minimum order, samples and inspection below).

Season and shipping window 2026/27

Egyptian Medjool is available in every month of the 2026/27 season:

• New crop: Medjool from the 2026 harvest is available from 1 August 2026.
• Cold storage: we supply Medjool from cold storage all year round, so an order can ship in any month.

Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin around 8 February 2027, subject to moon sighting (The National). To plan an arrival, add about two days to prepare and load the container, the sea transit, which depends on the shipping line and the destination port and is given with our quote, and the time your port needs for clearance and inland delivery. Importers supplying Ramadan should fix the shipping month when they confirm the order.

Packing and container load

Egyptian Medjool comes in two master cartons: a 5 kg carton, and an 8 kg carton that holds smaller consumer packs of 250 g, 500 g or 1 kg.

Loads are for a 40 ft high-cube reefer and are approximate; the packing list for each shipment confirms the exact count.

Labels and private label

• Carton label: the importer’s details, and text in the buyer’s language, can be printed on the carton label once you confirm the exact wording. Market-specific details required by the destination can be added to the label.
• Your logo on the packs: from a minimum quantity we confirm for each order.
• Full private-label carton: from a minimum quantity we confirm for each order. Design, carton type and lead time are agreed for each order.

Cold chain and transit

• Reefer containers: Medjool travels in temperature-controlled reefer containers. Each container carries two or three data loggers that record the temperature for the whole voyage.
• Reefer setting: −18 °C for the whole voyage.
• Lead time: about two days to prepare and load a container, then the sea transit, which depends on the shipping line and the destination port. We give the transit time with each quote; sailing times are approximate and not guaranteed.
• Delivery terms: we quote sea shipments EXW or FOB Egypt, or CFR or CIF to a named destination port. We don’t deliver to the buyer’s warehouse or handle import clearance, so we don’t sell on DAP or DDP terms. Air shipments on CIP terms by request.

Shipping documents

Every Medjool shipment travels with a phytosanitary certificate, a fumigation certificate and a certificate of origin, together with the commercial shipping documents in the table below.

Import rules differ by country, so confirm your own requirements with your customs broker before you order. We can share copies of earlier shipping documents so you can see what arrives with a container.

How price is set, and payment terms

We don’t publish a price list. Medjool prices move during the season and depend on the details of each order, so every price is quoted individually. A quote depends on:

• grade and size;
• packing: 5 kg carton, or 8 kg carton of 250 g, 500 g or 1 kg packs;
• delivery term and destination port;
• shipping month;
• quantity (we quote one container unless you tell us otherwise).

FOB or CIF. Under FOB, the goods are loaded on the vessel at the Egyptian port and the buyer pays the freight, insurance and everything after. A CIF price includes the goods, packing and loading, the container, sea freight and marine insurance to the named destination port. Under both terms, unloading, port charges, import duties and taxes, customs clearance and inland transport are paid by the buyer.

Payment. 50% advance, 50% against a copy of the shipping documents.

Proforma invoice. Before shipping we issue a proforma invoice in English. For it we need the importer’s full company name, email, phone number and full address.

Minimum order, samples and inspection

• Minimum order: one full container, normally a 40 ft reefer. A 20 ft reefer is possible only on the few sailings priced for it.
• More than one size in a container: one 40 ft container can carry more than one Medjool size, for example half Large and half Jumbo. Mixing Medjool with other date varieties in one container is decided order by order.
• Smaller trial quantities: contact us and we will check them order by order.
• Who we sell to: registered importers. We export directly from Egypt by the container and don’t sell retail or locally in the buyer’s country. The 250 g, 500 g, 1 kg and 5 kg sizes are pack formats inside a container order.
• Samples: available. The buyer pays the DHL courier cost, and samples ship after payment. Tell us the grades and sizes you want, the kilos of each, and your full delivery address and contact details.
• Inspection: you can inspect at loading in Egypt, or appoint an independent inspection company such as SGS. We arrange access with you in advance.

How to choose a Medjool exporter

Ask every exporter the same eight questions, and get the answers in writing before you pay a deposit:

1. What is the fruit weight in grams for each size?
2. What does each grade mean in skin separation, and is it measured on the fruit or as a tolerance across the lot?
3. What is the moisture specification?
4. How many cartons and tonnes go into a 40 ft reefer for the pack I want?
5. Which documents come with every shipment, and who issues them?
6. Can I inspect at loading, or send an independent inspector?
7. What are your sample terms and payment terms?
8. Can you show copies of earlier shipping documents, such as bills of lading, certificates of origin and phytosanitary certificates?

An exporter who answers all eight clearly gives you a basis to compare offers like for like. For an overview of the companies in this trade, see our list of Egyptian dates exporters.

Why import Medjool from PEI Trade

• Specifications in writing: three grades defined by skin separation, six sizes and a Mix, four pack formats and container loads per pack, all on this page.
• Year-round supply: new-crop Medjool from 1 August, and supply from cold storage all year round.
• Inspection welcome: at loading, by you or an independent inspection company.
• Recorded cold chain: two or three data loggers in every reefer.
• Your brand: carton labels in your wording, your logo on the packs or full private-label cartons from a minimum quantity we confirm per order.
• References without names: we don’t share client names, but we can send copies of earlier bills of lading, certificates of origin and phytosanitary certificates, with photos and videos of packing.
• Offices: New Cairo, Cairo, where visits are by appointment, and Dokki, Giza.

For the other date varieties we ship, see our Egyptian dates product page.

Medjool FAQ

Request a Medjool quote

To quote, we need four things:

1. Grade: Premium, Delight or Classic.
2. Size: Babysmall, Small, Medium, Large, Jumbo, SuperJumbo or Mix.
3. Packing: 5 kg carton, or 8 kg carton of 250 g, 500 g or 1 kg packs.
4. Destination port, with your delivery term (EXW, FOB, CFR or CIF by sea, or CIP by air).

Add the shipping month and the number of containers if you know them. We reply with a price for your exact specification.

More on Egyptian dates

• Egyptian Dates Export: The Complete Guide
• Egyptian Date Varieties: Siwi, Medjool and More
• Egyptian Dates Export Season and Calendar
• Egyptian dates packaging and storage
• Egyptian dates export requirements