6
SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
Color class
Range (% Tansmittance)
Grade A Light Amber
75.0 to 100.0
Grade A Medium Amber
60.5 to 74.9
Grade A Dark Amber
44.0 to 60.4
Grade B for reprocessing
27.0 to 43.9
Substandard
less than 27.0
The primary characteristic for classifying maple syrup is color. When syrup is very light in color, as
matching the minimum light transmittance standards, the grade assigned to syrup is high. When
syrup color is dark, the grade is low. Color classes are expressed in percent of light transmission as
compared to an analytical Glycerol Standard Reference fixed at one hundred percent transmission.
All syrup is considered to be at minimum density, 66.0 degrees Brix at 68 °F (20 °C), and to have
no flavors or other characteristics extraneous to pure maple syrup.