Kaju price depends on three things: the grade, the pack size and what the season’s crop has done to supply. Bigger, whiter, unbroken kernels cost the most; split kernels and small pieces cost the least. Today’s live figure for every grade we keep sits in the panel just below.
What is the difference between Super, Jumbo, faad and tukda?
Cashew grading starts with how many kernels make up a pound. W180 gives the fewest and largest kernels, W240 is a step smaller, and W320 is smaller again and very even. Counters then sell those under their own names — ours are Super and Jumbo for the large whole grades, and the even everyday grade.
Below the whole grades come the broken ones. Faad is a kernel that has split along its natural seam into two halves. Tukda is smaller than that, and the fine bits left at the bottom of a sack go into pastes and mithai. Nothing is wrong with a broken kernel, it is the same nut cut by handling, but it cannot be laid out on a plate, so it is priced lower. Counter names differ from shop to shop, so ask which count you are getting rather than which nickname. We have written the whole ladder out in our guide to kaju grades.
| Grade | Size and look | Feel | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super (the largest whole grade we keep) | Largest whole kernels, ivory and matched | Firm, snaps clean | Gifting, serving whole, pulao |
| Jumbo | One size down, still whole and even | Firm with a fuller bite | Everyday eating, roasting |
| W320 | Smaller whole kernels, very uniform | Lighter, crisper bite | Daily cooking, kheer, namkeen |
| Faad (two-piece) | Kernel split into two halves | Same as the whole grade | Garnish, halwa, gravies |
| Tukda (pieces) | Small broken bits, mixed sizes | Same as the whole grade | Mithai, masala paste, grinding |
Why does the kaju rate move through the year?
Three things push it about. Supply comes first: when arrivals are thin, the whole grades tighten before anything else, because large kernels are the scarce part of any lot. Then demand. The weeks before Diwali and the wedding months pull hard on Super and Jumbo, and that is exactly when the broken grades start to look like sense. Last, the work itself. Kernels are shelled and peeled by hand, and a lot that comes out mostly whole is worth far more to a processor than one that shatters. That gap in labour and yield is what you are seeing when Super sits well above tukda.
Which grade should you actually buy?
- Serving to guests, or sending a box to family: Super, whole, nothing less.
- Eating through the week: Jumbo, or a smaller whole grade if you would rather have more of it.
- Cooking that hides the shape, such as kheer, halwa, gravies and laddoo: faad or tukda, and nobody will know.
- Roasting at home: any whole grade takes a dry pan well, while broken pieces catch and darken faster.
Buy what you will finish in a couple of months, and keep it in a cool airtight tin. Our kaju shelf lists the grades we have packed today.
Where we send it
We weigh and pack to order at our counter in Rajasthan and send by courier. Jaipur is usually 1-3 days, Indore and Pune 2-4, Hyderabad 3-5 and Delhi NCR 3-5. Across the country, orders start at ₹1,000 and every order ships free, so what you see against the pack is what you pay. If you are building a mixed order, the full shop holds the rest of the counter.
Questions people ask
What is the price of 1 kg kaju?
It moves with the crop and the season, so we do not print a fixed figure. The panel above shows today’s rate for each grade and pack size we have, and a kilo works out at roughly the pack rate for that grade.
Is Jumbo good enough for gifting?
For most boxes, yes. It is whole, even and looks the part. We keep Super for the times the box is the whole gift and the kernels are on show.
Does broken kaju taste any different?
No. Faad and tukda come off the same lots as the whole grades and have simply split during shelling or handling. The only difference is how they sit on a plate.
How should kaju be stored at home?
Airtight, away from the stove and out of sunlight. Through a hot month the fridge beats a kitchen shelf, and a minute in a dry pan brings the crunch back.
Today’s rate for something else: Badam · Mamra badam · Anjeer · Akhrot · Khajur · Kishmish · Makhana · Pista · Charoli
