Cashew (Kaju) Grades Explained: W240, W320, Splits and Stale Nuts
The number on a cashew pack is a count, not a quality score. W240 means about 240 whole kernels fit in one pound, so a smaller number means bigger cashews, not better ones. Once you know that, you can stop overpaying. Below: every grade code explained, why broken kaju is the smart buy for cooking, why your cashews have black spots, and how to store cashews for a long time.
Quick facts
- W: white wholes. The number is kernels per pound (about 450 g).
- Most common snack grade: W320. W240 is bigger and dearer.
- For cooking: splits (S) and pieces (LWP, SWP) taste the same and cost less.
- Black spots: scorch marks are harmless; fuzzy or powdery spots are not.
- A handful: about 18 cashews (28 g), roughly 157 kcal.
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Cashew grades explained: W180 to W450
Cashew grading comes from the export trade, and most packs in Pakistan and India borrow the same codes. Letter: type. Number: size.
| Grade | What it means | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| W180 | Jumbo wholes, about 180 per pound | Gift boxes, show |
| W210, W240 | Large wholes | Snacking, guests |
| W320 | Medium wholes, the most traded grade | Everyday snacking |
| W450 | Small wholes | Cheaper snacking, sweets |
| SW | Scorched wholes, light brown from drying | Roasting, cooking |
| S, B | Splits (halves) and butts (broken across) | Korma, biryani, halwa |
| LWP, SWP | Large and small white pieces | Pastes, sweets, pulao |
Here’s the key point. A W180 and a W450 can come from the same tree and taste nearly the same, so the extra money buys looks, which is worth paying for on a wedding tray and simply wasted on a korma paste that’s about to disappear into a blender with onions and yogurt.
Nobody at the dinner table can tell whether the korma was made with W240 or with broken pieces.
How to pick good kaju at the shop
- Read the code. If a loose heap is sold as “W240”, count how many sit in a 50 g scoop. W240 should be roughly 25 to 27 kernels. Far more than that, and it’s a smaller grade.
- Check the colour. Good wholes are pale ivory. A light, even brown is scorching (SW), which is fine but should cost less.
- Look for spots and holes. Tiny dark pinholes and powder in the bag point to insects.
- Snap one. A fresh cashew breaks cleanly with a light crunch. Soft, bendy or chewy kernels have taken in damp.
- Smell the bag. Fresh cashews smell faintly sweet and milky. Paint, crayon or a musty cellar smell means rancid or mouldy.
- Weigh up whole vs broken. For cooking, buy splits or pieces and put the saving towards better-quality stock.
India (Goa, Kerala, Maharashtra) and Vietnam process a huge share of the world’s cashews, and much of the raw nut is grown in West Africa. The honest price ladder is simple, since wholes cost more than splits and splits cost more than pieces, so a shop charging whole-kernel prices for a bag of broken bits is taking advantage of you, however nice the bag looks. Walk away.
Why do my cashews have black spots?
This is the question people search most, and the answer depends on what the spot looks like.
- Light brown patches or a toasted tint: scorching while the nut was dried or shelled. Harmless.
- Small, hard dark specks on the surface: usually processing marks or a little bruising. Scrape one off; if it’s just a mark and the nut smells normal, it’s safe.
- Tiny holes with dark edges, or powder in the pack: insect damage. Throw away the damaged ones, and if you see live insects or webbing, discard the whole bag.
- Fuzzy, grey-green or black powdery spots, or a musty smell: mould. Throw away the whole pack. Some moulds on nuts make aflatoxin, a toxin you can’t see, smell or roast away. Don’t cut the spot off and eat the rest.
Our guide to rancid and stale dry fruits covers the smell checks in more detail.
How to store cashews for a long time
Cashews are fatty, but their fat is mostly the more stable kind, so they last longer than walnuts or pine nuts, and their real enemy is damp, which in a humid monsoon kitchen turns them soft within weeks and then mouldy not long after. Keep them dry.
- Shelf: airtight jar, cool dark cupboard. About 2 to 3 months in hot, humid weather.
- Fridge: sealed box, about 6 months.
- Freezer: up to a year. Divide them into small bags so you don’t keep opening one big bag.
Soft cashews that smell fine? Dry-roast them in a pan on low heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring, and let them cool completely. They’ll crisp up again. Roasting won’t fix a rancid or musty smell.
Raw, roasted and salted: which to buy
The “raw” cashew in the shop isn’t truly raw. The cashew shell holds a caustic oil that burns skin, so every kernel has been steamed or roasted to get it out, and that’s why you never see cashews sold in their shell the way almonds and walnuts are. Plain kernels are the most useful. Roast them yourself with a pinch of salt when you want a snack; you control the oil and salt. Shop-fried salted kaju often uses plenty of both. Our kaju raw vs roasted guide covers roasting and korma paste in full.
Cashews vs almonds: nutrition per handful
Per 28 g, cashews give about 157 kcal, 5 g protein and 1 g fibre, while almonds give about 164 kcal, 6 g protein and 3.5 g fibre, so cashews bring a little more iron and zinc and almonds bring much more vitamin E and fibre. Neither is a “bad” nut. Cashews are just easier to overeat.
Two cashew recipes worth making
Cashew cream for gravies (makes about half a cup)
Soak 50 g cashew pieces in hot water for 20 minutes, drain them, and blend with 80 ml fresh water until completely smooth, then stir the paste into a korma or white karahi in the last 5 minutes of cooking so it thickens without splitting. Cream’s richness, less saturated fat.
Mango and cashew shake (1 glass)
Blend half a cup of ripe mango pieces, 6 cashews soaked for an hour, 200 ml cold milk and 2 ice cubes. The mango brings the sweetness; skip sugar. Eating the mango and a few cashews whole fills you up more than the shake does.
Good combos: cashews with raisins in pulao or kheer, cashews with chickpeas in a roasted snack mix for crunch and protein.
Cashews were saved for special cooking: kaju in shahi korma, sheer khurma at Eid, kaju katli at Diwali, and a handful fried golden in ghee and scattered over biryani just before it went to the table. That’s where they shine. In Unani and Ayurvedic thinking they’re seen as warming and heavy, food for strength and cold days. The honest picture is simpler: they’re a good source of energy, protein and minerals, and they don’t need to be anything more.
Myths and surprising facts
Myth: cashews raise cholesterol
The truth: most of the fat in cashews is unsaturated, so a handful in place of fried snacks is a better swap, not a worse one, and the belief mostly comes from their creamy richness and their place in heavy wedding gravies, where the ghee and cream do most of the damage. Blame the ghee.
Did you know?
- Each cashew hangs below a juicy, pear-shaped fruit called the cashew apple. In Goa, the apple is used to make the local drink feni.
- Cashews belong to the same plant family as mango and pistachio. That’s why cashew shell oil and mango sap can both irritate skin.
- “W” on a pack stands for white whole.
Children under 5: no whole cashews, as they’re a choking risk; blend them into a paste or grind them finely. Tree nut allergy: cashew allergy can be severe, even from small amounts in gravies or sweets. Always ask what’s in the korma. Swelling of the lips or tongue, wheezing or trouble breathing after eating needs emergency care straight away. Kidney stones or kidney disease: cashews contain oxalate, potassium and phosphorus; if you’ve been given a limit, ask your renal team where cashews fit. Diabetes or weight goals: a handful is fine; a bowl in front of the TV is not. Your usual medicines don’t change because of cashews, and your doctor is the one to ask about any diet change.
Kaju questions, answered
What does W240 mean on cashews?
W means white whole kernels, and 240 means about 240 of them weigh one pound (around 450 g). The lower the number, the bigger each cashew. It says nothing about freshness.
Which is better, W240 or W320?
W240 cashews are bigger; W320 are medium. They taste almost the same. Buy W240 for guests and gifts, W320 for everyday snacking.
Why do my cashews have black spots?
Light brown or small hard specks are usually scorching or bruising from processing and are harmless. Fuzzy, powdery or musty-smelling spots are mould, and that pack should go in the bin. Pinholes point to insects.
Best way to store cashews for a long time?
Seal them in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for up to 6 months or the freezer for up to a year. On a shelf in hot weather they keep about 2 to 3 months. Keep damp out.
Are broken cashews lower quality?
No. Splits and pieces come from the same nuts and break during shelling. They’re ideal for cooking and cost less. Check them for freshness the same way you would wholes.
How to know if cashews are rancid?
Smell first: rancid cashews smell like paint, putty or old crayons. They may also look darker or oily. Throw them away rather than roasting or cooking with them.
Can toddlers eat cashews?
Yes, as a smooth paste or finely ground powder mixed into food, never whole under 5. Introduce a small amount first and watch for allergy signs.
Cashews vs almonds: which is healthier?
Almonds have more fibre and vitamin E, and cashews have a little more iron and zinc. Both are healthy in a handful. Pick the one you’ll eat in sensible amounts.
Why are cashews never sold in the shell?
The shell contains a caustic oil that can burn the skin. Kernels are steamed or roasted out of the shell before sale, so even “raw” cashews have been heat-treated.
Are cashews fattening?
Only in large amounts. One handful is about 157 kcal. Weigh a handful once so you know what a portion looks like.
Is SW grade cashew safe?
Yes. SW means scorched wholes, which were slightly browned during drying. They taste a little toasted and cost less than white wholes.
Find more in Fruits and Vegetables, and see our badam buying guide for almonds.