Ceylon cinnamon vs cassia: which one is in your carton, and what do the coumarin figures say?

Ceylon cinnamon vs cassia is a question a buyer settles twice: once in the contract and once when the sample is on the desk. Ceylon cinnamon, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, is light brown bark rolled in many thin layers that snaps easily. Cassia is darker, rolled once and hard. The two also differ chemically: Germany's food risk body puts cassia's average coumarin content at approximately 3000 mg per kg and calls the level in Ceylon cinnamon low. Name the species, the standard and the grade in writing, and check the goods against them.

This guide reports what Sri Lankan export bodies and a European food-safety authority say about the two spices. It gives no health advice. The coumarin figures matter because they shape what food makers in your market ask their spice suppliers to prove.

Two spices sold under one word

In many shops and on many price lists, "cinnamon" covers both products. The Export Development Board (EDB), Sri Lanka's export promotion body, says Ceylon cinnamon differs both physically and chemically from cassia. The Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI) says Cinnamomum zeylanicum is native to Sri Lanka and is known as True Cinnamon or Ceylon Cinnamon.

The Department of Export Agriculture (DEA) gives the full botanical name as Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume, in the family Lauraceae. That name, not the word "cinnamon", is what belongs on your specification.

Sri Lanka's way of processing the bark is part of the difference. A cinnamon quill is peeled bark rolled and joined into a pipe-like structure of the required length, and the DEA says quill-making is unique to Sri Lanka. Pieces of bark that are not made into quills are sold as chips, quillings or featherings. The Ceylon cinnamon category lists each of these forms, along with powder and the two oils.

What the EDB says you can see and feel

The EDB's comparison of cassia and Ceylon cinnamon gives four physical points that a buyer or a quality controller can check by hand.

The table's last two rows come from other bodies, covered below. The first four are the EDB's own description and work best on whole quills. Look at the end of a stick: many thin layers packed inside one another point to Ceylon cinnamon, while a single thick curl around a hollow centre points to cassia.

These checks have limits. They tell you which spice a sample looks like, not which grade it is or how much oil it carries. Grade is a matter of quill diameter and count per kilogram, set out in the DEA's grade table and explained in our guide to Ceylon cinnamon grades from Alba to Hamburg. Alba, for example, has a maximum diameter of 6 mm.

Powder hides every point in the table. For Ceylon cinnamon powder, the contract, the test report and the export paperwork carry the proof.

The coumarin figures, in the regulator's words

Coumarin is a natural flavouring substance found in cassia. The BfR's questions and answers on coumarin in cinnamon hold the figures most European buyers meet first, so it helps to know exactly what they say and what they do not.

• The BfR gives the tolerable daily intake of coumarin as 0.1 mg per kg of bodyweight per day, the same value as the European Food Safety Authority.
• It says cassia cinnamon contains on average approximately 3000 mg of coumarin per kg of cinnamon.
• It says Ceylon cinnamon contains only low levels of coumarin, without giving a single figure.
• It says EU maximum levels in force since January 2011 are 50 mg per kg for traditional or seasonal bakery ware labelled with cinnamon and 5 mg per kg for desserts.
• It says no limit value exists for coumarin in cinnamon sold as a spice.

Read the last two points together. The EU limits apply to the finished food, not to the jar of spice. A bakery or dessert maker who buys your cinnamon must keep the finished product under the limit, which is why such customers ask which species they are getting.

If your customer asks for a coumarin figure on Ceylon cinnamon, do not quote a number from a website. The BfR does not give one. Ask for a test report on the actual lot from an accredited laboratory, with the method agreed in the contract.

Two ISO standards, two products

ISO keeps the two spices in separate standards, which gives you a clean way to write the difference into a contract. ISO 6539:2014, "Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume) - Specification", is in its third edition and was confirmed in 2025. It specifies requirements for whole or ground cinnamon of the Sri Lankan, Madagascan and Seychelles types and gives recommendations on storage and transport. Requirements for cassia are in a different standard, ISO 6538.

So "cinnamon to ISO 6539, Sri Lankan type" is a precise request, and an offer that cites ISO 6538 is an offer for cassia, whatever the product name says. The SLSI also runs a Pre-Export Certification for Cinnamon, which checks that exported cinnamon conforms to the Sri Lanka Standard or to the buyer's own specification and gives the exporter a third-party certificate. If you need that certificate, say so in your enquiry.

The DEA adds one chemical figure that belongs in a specification: a volatile oil standard of 1% for quills and 0.7% for other cinnamon products. It says the main chemical in cinnamon bark oil is cinnamaldehyde and in leaf oil eugenol, which matters if you buy the oils rather than the bark.

Origin marks and labels in the EU

Since Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/144 of 2 February 2022, "Ceylon cinnamon" has been a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) in the European Union. Article 2 of that regulation adds a labelling rule importers should know: when the botanical name Cinnamomum zeylanicum is used on the label of a product from outside Sri Lanka, the country of origin must be shown in the same field of vision, in letters no smaller than the name.

The EDB says the Ceylon Cinnamon PGI mark applies to cinnamon quills, cinnamon powder, cinnamon leaf oil and cinnamon bark oil, and only to packs containing 100% pure Ceylon Cinnamon. A grower, processor, manufacturer or exporter who uses the mark must be a member of the Association for Ceylon Cinnamon Protected Geographical Indication (ACCPGI). The separate "Pure Ceylon Cinnamon" logo is owned by the EDB and can be used only under an EDB licence on value added packs containing 100% Pure Ceylon Cinnamon manufactured in Sri Lanka. If you want either mark on your retail pack, ask the supplier whether they are licensed to use it, and ask to see the licence.

How to specify Ceylon cinnamon so that you receive it

1. Write the botanical name, Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume, on the enquiry and the contract, not just "cinnamon".
2. Name the form: quills, quillings, featherings, chips, powder, leaf oil or bark oil.
3. For quills, give the grade in the DEA's zero notation (for example C00000 or H1) and the count per kg you expect.
4. Cite ISO 6539 or the Sri Lanka Standard, and say whether you need the SLSI Pre-Export Certification.
5. Ask for a test report on the lot, listing coumarin and volatile oil if your customers ask about them.
6. Ask for a physical sample of the same lot and check colour, layers and snap against the EDB description.
7. Check the export tariff line on the invoice: Sri Lanka lists cinnamon under heading H.09.06, with separate lines such as H.09.06.11.95 for chips and H.09.06.20.20 for ground cinnamon.

The certificates that travel with a spice shipment, such as the phytosanitary certificate, are not sent by default; our checklist of export documents from Sri Lanka shows which papers to request. Your own country's import rules come first, and our guide to importing Sri Lankan food by destination sets out where those rules differ. Confirm them with your customs broker before you sign.

Common mistakes

• Ordering "cinnamon" with no species. The word alone covers cassia too. Without Cinnamomum zeylanicum in the contract, a cassia delivery is hard to reject.
• Judging powder by colour. The EDB's physical points are made for bark. For ground cinnamon rely on the test report and the contract.
• Quoting a coumarin figure for Ceylon cinnamon that no regulator published. The BfR says only "low levels". Use the lot's test report instead.
• Assuming the bakery limits apply to the spice. The EU maximum levels the BfR cites cover foods such as bakery ware and desserts, not cinnamon sold as a spice.
• Printing the botanical name without the origin. On a product from outside Sri Lanka the EU rule needs the country of origin in the same field of vision.
• Using the PGI mark or the logo without a licence. Ask who holds the right before printing.

When your specification is ready, send it through the quote request page with the form, grade, quantity, destination port and the documents you need. The reply can only be as exact as the request, so give every line you have. Other Sri Lankan spices, from pepper to cloves, are in the spices category, and their grade names are explained in our guide to Sri Lankan spices wholesale.

Frequently asked questions

Is cassia the same plant as Ceylon cinnamon?

No. The Department of Export Agriculture gives the botanical name of Ceylon cinnamon as Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume, and the Export Development Board says Ceylon cinnamon differs both physically and chemically from cassia. ISO also keeps them apart, with ISO 6539 for cinnamon and ISO 6538 for cassia.

How can I tell Ceylon cinnamon from cassia when the sample arrives?

Look at a cut end and try to snap a stick. The Export Development Board describes Ceylon cinnamon as light brown, rolled in several thin layers like a cigar and easy to break, and cassia as reddish dark brown with one inward fold, an empty centre and bark that is hard to break.

How much coumarin does cassia contain compared with Ceylon cinnamon?

Germany's Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) says cassia contains on average approximately 3000 mg of coumarin per kg, while Ceylon cinnamon contains only low levels. The BfR gives no single figure for Ceylon cinnamon, so ask for a lot test report if your customer needs a number.

Is there an EU limit for coumarin in cinnamon sold as a spice?

The BfR says no limit value exists for coumarin in cinnamon sold as a spice. The EU maximum levels in force since January 2011 apply to foods made with cinnamon, such as 50 mg per kg for traditional or seasonal bakery ware labelled with cinnamon and 5 mg per kg for desserts.

Key takeaways

• Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) and cassia are different spices; the EDB says they differ physically and chemically.
• Whole Ceylon cinnamon is light brown, many-layered and easy to break; cassia is reddish dark brown, rolled once and hard.
• The BfR puts cassia at approximately 3000 mg of coumarin per kg on average and Ceylon cinnamon at low levels.
• EU coumarin limits apply to foods made with cinnamon, not to the spice itself.
• ISO 6539 covers cinnamon and ISO 6538 cassia: cite the right one in your contract.