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Cherry Size Grades Explained: Row, J and Millimeters, with Growing Seasons

2026-10-25 ｜ Joe Lin

This article is also available in:繁體中文 · Español

The imported-cherry labels covered here use three size systems: the US Pacific Northwest’s Row system, where a smaller number means a bigger cherry; Chilean J grades, where more Js mean bigger fruit; and direct millimeter labels commonly used in Tasmania and New Zealand. All describe fruit diameter. Typical labels include 9.5, 9 and 8.5 Row; J, XJ and SXJ; and 26, 28, 30 and 32 mm+.

The minimum diameter for 9.5 Row is about 28.2 mm, roughly the XJ/JJ range. For 9 Row it is about 29.8 mm, close to the start of the SXJ/JJJ range. These are approximate comparisons, not identical cutoffs. Bigger grades usually cost more, but size does not guarantee sweetness.

Why a lower Row number means a bigger cherry

The Pacific Northwest, including Washington and Oregon, is a major Northern Hemisphere sweet-cherry region. Its Row system dates to shipping cherries in small 4–5 lb wooden boxes. Packers arranged the top layer in neat rows, and the number of cherries that fitted in a row became the size label. Larger cherries meant fewer per row, hence a smaller Row number. The terminology survived the move to larger cardboard boxes.

Row labels specify minimum diameters. Under Washington’s WAC 16-414-011, 9 Row corresponds to 75/64 inch, about 29.8 mm. Tolerances depend on the label: under WAC 16-414-014, no more than 10% of the cherries, by count, in an inspection lot specified by Row may fall below its corresponding diameter. The 5% tolerance applies instead when a container is marked with a “minimum diameter.” A Row designation is therefore a minimum threshold subject to tolerance, not a guarantee about every individual cherry or a fixed upper size limit.

The common retail sizes described in the Taiwan-focused original are 9.5, 9 and 8.5 Row. A useful conversion anchor is 10.5 Row: exactly 1 inch, or 25.4 mm. Small fruit around 12 Row and smaller in physical size often goes to processing for canned fruit, juice or dried cherries. Among the common retail sizes discussed in the original, 8.5 Row, starting around 31.4 mm, is at the large end.

Reading J grades: J is 26–28 mm

Chile is a major Southern Hemisphere cherry exporter, with China its principal market. Its J system is described in the export-quality guidelines of the Chilean Cherry Committee of ASOEX. J corresponds to a 26–28 mm diameter; additional Js indicate larger bands.

The bands run as follows:

  • L: 22–24 mm, the basic size. From December 2021, the minimum size described for Chilean exports to China was raised to XL, excluding L from that destination.
  • XL: 24–26 mm, the entry size under that China-bound requirement.
  • J: 26–28 mm, entering the gift-box sizes described in the original market context.
  • XJ: 28–30 mm, also labeled JJ or SJ. This double-J band was described as a mainstream, high-volume grade in that market.
  • SXJ: 30–32 mm, also JJJ, G or XXJ, associated with higher-end gift boxes.
  • JJJJ: 32 mm and above, also XG or SG, the rarer, largest-fruit band.

Several labels can mean the same band because exporters combine letters differently. X stands for Extra, S for Super, G for Giant and P for Premium. If the abbreviation is unclear, look for the millimeter range usually printed alongside it. XJ and JJ are the same 28–30 mm band, not two different sizes.

Australia and New Zealand: diameter printed directly

Tasmanian and New Zealand exporters often skip the codes and label diameter in millimeters. New Zealand’s main growing area is Central Otago on the South Island. Common export grades include 26, 28, 30 and 32 mm+. Higher-end Tasmanian exports include 30–32 mm and 32–34 mm fruit.

Premium airfreighted gift boxes target Asian gifting demand before Lunar New Year. For a shopper, direct millimeter labeling is the easiest system: the number itself is the size, with no code to convert.

Cherry size conversion chart

All three systems describe diameter, so they can be compared on a common millimeter scale. The Row column gives Washington’s minimum diameter; the J and millimeter columns show the corresponding bands or commercial labels.

Diameter US Northwest Row: minimum Chilean J grade Australia / NZ label
From 21.4 mm 12 Row: 54/64 in — —
From 22.6 mm 11.5 Row: 57/64 in L: 22–24 mm —
From 24.2 mm 11 Row: 61/64 in XL: 24–26 mm —
From 25.4 mm 10.5 Row: 64/64 in = 1 in XL: 24–26 mm —
From 26.6 mm 10 Row: 67/64 in J: 26–28 mm 26 mm grade
From 28.2 mm 9.5 Row: 71/64 in XJ / JJ: 28–30 mm 28 mm grade
From 29.8 mm 9 Row: 75/64 in Upper XJ to SXJ: 28–30 / 30–32 mm 30 mm grade
From 31.4 mm 8.5 Row: 79/64 in SXJ / JJJ: 30–32 mm 30 / 32 mm grades
From 33.3 mm 8 Row: 84/64 in JJJJ: 32 mm+ 32 mm+ grade

To compare fruit from different origins, convert the label to millimeters. A 9.5 Row lot in the northern season and Chilean XJ/JJ in the southern season are roughly the same size band, around 28 mm. The 9 Row minimum is close to the 30 mm start of SXJ/JJJ, while 8.5 Row is already in the premium 30–32 mm band. Row sets a minimum, whereas J grades and millimeter bands describe ranges. “Roughly equivalent” does not mean precisely interchangeable.

Growing seasons: how the hemispheres supply Taiwan in turn

Taiwan has no commercial-scale fresh-cherry production in the market described by the original. Fresh cherries sold there are imported, with the two hemispheres supplying different parts of the calendar.

Origin Harvest season Common grading
US Pacific Northwest, including Washington June–August Row
British Columbia, Canada: Okanagan Valley Late June–early September Mainly Row
Chile November–February of the following year J
Tasmania, Australia Mid-December–late February; peak in January Millimeters
Central Otago, New Zealand Late December–mid-February Millimeters

In Taiwan, June–September brings mainly US Northwest and British Columbia fruit, with Row numbers on the boxes. Chile takes over from November and supplies much of the winter volume. Tasmania and New Zealand add premium airfreighted fruit from December into the pre-Lunar-New-Year gift season. March–May is a relative gap, with the least supply and firmer prices in that market. The counterseasonal export logic is similar to the one discussed in how Peru became the largest blueberry exporter (Traditional Chinese).

Thus fresh cherries can be available in Taiwan through almost the whole year, although the origin changes. Winter supplies from November through February come from the Southern Hemisphere: mainly Chile, with Tasmania and New Zealand joining around December. This is a Taiwan supply pattern, not a promise of year-round availability everywhere.

Common varieties: Bing, Rainier and the southern export staples

Grades describe size; varieties contribute color and flavor. The Taiwan market in the original carries roughly a dozen familiar sweet-cherry varieties, many grown in more than one country.

  • Bing: a long-established US Northwest benchmark, deep red to dark red, with firm, crisp flesh and a sweet-tart flavor. It is also widely grown in Chile.
  • Rainier: the pale “white cherry,” yellow with a red blush. It is among the higher-sugar sweet cherries, but its delicate skin bruises easily. In the Taiwanese market comparison, Rainier cherries generally cost more than dark cherries of the same size grade. Its main US Northwest season is June–July.
  • Chelan: an early US Northwest variety, ripening about two weeks before Bing and helping open the season in early June.
  • Santina: an early dark cherry, around one week ahead of Bing, and an important part of Chile’s November opening season.
  • Lapins: a self-fertile Canadian-bred variety with large, dark purple-black fruit and high yields. The original identifies it as Chile’s largest-volume export variety and a common major variety in Australia and New Zealand.
  • Regina: a late, large-fruited German-bred variety, dark red to almost black, with balanced sweet-tart flavor and good storage and shipping qualities. It appears in premium Chilean gift boxes.
  • Kordia, also called Attika in Europe: long-stemmed, heart-shaped and crisp, with good resistance to cracking. It is common in premium Tasmanian and New Zealand offerings.
  • Sweetheart: one of the main late varieties, extending northern supply into August and southern supply into February.

The same variety appears in different hemispheres at different times: Lapins bought during the northern summer may come from the US or Canada, while a winter lot may come from Chile, Australia or New Zealand. Read variety and grade separately: variety helps you choose flavor and color, while Row, J or millimeters describe size.

The pale yellow-and-pink fruit is usually Rainier, developed in 1952 at Washington State University by crossing Bing and Van. It is among the sweeter sweet-cherry varieties, but thin skin, bruising and limited storage and shipping durability contribute to its higher price. Its sweetness does not make every individual Rainier sweeter than every dark cherry.

Australian versus New Zealand cherries

Their seasons largely overlap, from December into February. Both commonly use millimeters and grow many of the same varieties, including Lapins, Kordia and Sweetheart. The main distinction in the Taiwan-oriented supply comparison is the offering: Australia, particularly Tasmania, supplies more volume and a broader size range, while New Zealand’s smaller Central Otago supply focuses on premium airfreighted gift boxes ahead of Lunar New Year.

For fruit of the same size, flavor differences depend more on variety and batch than on the country name alone.

Why bigger cherries cost more—and what size does not tell you

Large fruit costs more because of supply and sorting. The original describes fruit sizes on a tree as normally distributed, with cherries of 30 mm and above forming a smaller share; unfavorable weather can reduce that share further. Optical grading equipment measures individual fruit for size and appearance. More detailed sorting and higher packaging specifications add cost. Scarcity and sorting together can make the price rise much faster than the diameter.

None of these size systems measures sweetness. Brix describes soluble-solids content and is used as a sweetness indicator. Variety, growing area, the season’s weather and harvest maturity also influence flavor; two JJ batches can taste very different. Large fruit often comes from well-managed orchards, but the largest grade does not automatically mean the sweetest fruit. In the original’s shopping context, mainstream 9.5 Row or XJ/JJ can offer better value than paying for the very largest grade.

Sources

Keywords: cherry size grades, Row size, 9.5 Row, 9 Row, XJ, JJ, SXJ, JJJ, cherry diameter, cherry harvest seasons, Bing, Rainier, Lapins, Australian and New Zealand cherries

Sources: The Chinese original was first published on August 28, 2026. Its Row tolerances and price wording were corrected on October 24, 2026; the original season and market data dates are unchanged. Market and supply examples concern imported cherries sold in Taiwan. The China-bound Chilean minimum size is a rule described from December 2021, not a worldwide import requirement.

This English version is based on original Traditional Chinese content on joelin.cc. The language and explanations are localised for international readers. The Traditional Chinese original is the authoritative version — for its complete meaning, please read the original article.