Buyers who plan Egyptian citrus properly start the conversation in August, not in December. Contracts for the 2026/2027 season are already being discussed, and the specification is where most of those discussions stall. What follows is the working spec we use with importers, wholesalers and food distributors so that a quotation, a packing list and an arrival inspection all describe the same fruit.

Navel and Valencia: two different products

Navel varieties, mainly Washington and Newhall, harvest from early December into February. The fruit is seedless, peels easily and is sold almost entirely into the fresh channel. Brix on export lots is typically 10 to 12 with a Brix to acid ratio above 8 to 1. Navel juice turns bitter within hours of extraction, so it is not a juicing orange.

Valencia, including Valencia Late and Midknight selections, runs from late February through May and in some years into early June. Juice content is higher, the rind is thinner and the fruit holds on the tree longer. Late Valencia can show regreening on the rind while the flesh is fully mature. That is a physiological response to heat, not a defect, but it needs to be agreed in the specification before shipment so it does not become a claim on arrival.

Size counts and grades

Egyptian oranges are sold by count per 15 kg carton. The common export range is 48, 56, 64, 72, 80, 88, 100, 113 and 125. Counts 56 to 72 carry a premium in the Gulf retail trade. Counts 88 to 125 move in volume to Russia, Eastern Europe and the open wholesale markets, where price per carton matters more than fruit diameter. Class I allows minor shape and colour variation with no defect affecting keeping quality. Class II accepts rind blemish and healed scarring, and it is the honest choice for processing, catering and value-format retail.

Cartons and pallet build

The default is a 15 kg telescopic corrugated carton with a printed or plain top. Mesh bag formats of 4 kg, 5 kg and 10 kg are packed inside 20 kg master cartons for buyers who sell in bags. On a 100 x 120 cm pallet, a normal build is 80 cartons of 15 kg, giving 1,200 kg net per pallet. A 40 foot high cube reefer takes 20 pallets, so a full load lands at roughly 1,600 cartons and 24 tonnes net. Corner boards and four-way strapping are standard on citrus because the top layers carry the strap load during the sea leg.

Temperature and transit

Oranges travel at 4 to 6 degrees Celsius with relative humidity between 90 and 95 percent and fresh air exchange of 15 to 25 cubic metres per hour. Precooling to set point before the doors close is the single largest factor in arrival condition, more than the carton, more than the vessel. For port selection and transit times, see our guide to choosing between Alexandria, Damietta, Port Said and Sokhna. Gulf-bound citrus generally loads at Sokhna for a shorter Red Sea leg, while European and Russian volume moves through Alexandria and Damietta.

Locking volume before the season

Weekly volume, size mix and price mechanism are the three points to fix early. Buyers who want a specific count range in December need it committed in writing before the packhouse allocates the harvest. Our note on how importers lock Valencia and Navel volume before the season opens covers the contracting side in detail.

PEI Trade supplies 35 export-grade Egyptian crops with GLOBALG.A.P certified sourcing and third party pre-shipment inspection by SGS or Intertek on request. To request the 2026/2027 citrus specification sheet, a size-mix proposal or an FOB and CFR quotation, message our export desk on WhatsApp at +20 10 9911 1918.