Raw Honey Guide

Correction, October 2026: we removed or corrected claims and figures on this page that our sources did not support. How we handle corrections

Honey color spectrum from water-white acacia through golden wildflower to near-black buckwheat honey jars

Honey Color Science: Pfund Scale & the Antioxidant Link

Honey runs from nearly clear to almost black. The colour is measured in millimetres on the Pfund scale, and the USDA sorts it into seven colour designations. In a Polish study of 49 honeys, darker honey carried more phenolics on average (Spearman r = 0.77), with clear exceptions.

The colours below are measured means: 15 European honey types from the International Honey Commission’s descriptive sheets (Persano Oddo & Piro 2004) and Polish buckwheat (Puścion-Jakubik et al. 2022). We found no comparable measured means for US varieties such as clover, tupelo or orange blossom, so they are not shown.

The colour rule, measured

Across 49 Polish honeys, colour tracked total phenolics (r = 0.77) and the FRAP antioxidant test (r = 0.68). It did not track the DPPH test. Heather and dark multifloral honey were the same colour and differed twofold in phenolics. Colour is the best clue you can see on a shelf; it is not a measurement.

Measured Pfund Colour of 16 Honey Types

Mean colour in mm Pfund, lightest to darkest, with the USDA designation each mean falls in. IHC = International Honey Commission descriptive sheets; Poland = 2022 Polish study. Single jars vary around these means. Swatches approximate the jar colour.

Mean honey colour on the Pfund scale by honey typeRhododendron: 12.4 mm, Extra White. Acacia (black locust): 12.9 mm, Extra White. Citrus: 15 mm, Extra White. Rosemary: 15 mm, Extra White. Rape (canola): 26.2 mm, White. Lavender: 33.3 mm, White. Lime (linden): 33.3 mm, White. Sunflower: 52.4 mm, Light Amber. Thyme: 53.1 mm, Light Amber. Eucalyptus: 54.2 mm, Light Amber. Dandelion: 56.6 mm, Light Amber. Heather: 76.9 mm, Light Amber. Honeydew: 86 mm, Amber. Chestnut: 87.9 mm, Amber. Metcalfa honeydew: 100.8 mm, Amber. Buckwheat: 166.4 mm, Dark AmberRhododendron12.4 mm Extra White · IHCAcacia (black locust)12.9 mm Extra White · IHCCitrus15 mm Extra White · IHCRosemary15 mm Extra White · IHCRape (canola)26.2 mm White · IHCLavender33.3 mm White · IHCLime (linden)33.3 mm White · IHCSunflower52.4 mm Light Amber · IHCThyme53.1 mm Light Amber · IHCEucalyptus54.2 mm Light Amber · IHCDandelion56.6 mm Light Amber · IHCHeather76.9 mm Light Amber · IHCHoneydew86 mm Amber · IHCChestnut87.9 mm Amber · IHCMetcalfa honeydew100.8 mm Amber · IHCBuckwheat166.4 mm Dark Amber · Poland

Sources: Persano Oddo & Piro 2004; Puścion-Jakubik et al. 2022. Grade limits: USDA Table I.

The Pfund Scale: USDA’s 7 Colour Designations

A Pfund grader reads honey colour in millimetres along a wedge of amber glass: the higher the number, the darker the honey. The USDA’s U.S. Standards for Grades of Extracted Honey (effective May 23, 1985) list seven colour designations by their Pfund range. Two details from the standard: colour is not a factor of quality for its grades, and the Pfund grader is not the officially approved device for setting a USDA designation; official designations use USDA-approved colour standards.

USDA designationPfund rangeMeasured means in this range (mm)
Water White8 mm or lessnone of the 15 IHC means
Extra Whiteover 8 to 17 mmRosemary 15, Rhododendron 12.4, Acacia (black locust) 12.9, Citrus 15
Whiteover 17 to 34 mmLime (linden) 33.3, Rape (canola) 26.2, Lavender 33.3
Extra Light Amberover 34 to 50 mmnone of the 15 IHC means
Light Amberover 50 to 85 mmThyme 53.1, Heather 76.9, Sunflower 52.4, Eucalyptus 54.2, Dandelion 56.6
Amberover 85 to 114 mmChestnut 87.9, Metcalfa honeydew 100.8, Honeydew 86
Dark Amberover 114 mmBuckwheat (Poland) 166.4

Ranges from USDA Table I: each runs from “over” the previous limit “to and including” its own.

Color as an Antioxidant Proxy (r = 0.77)

Two studies tested colour and antioxidants on the same honeys. In 2002, honeys from 7 floral sources scored 3.1–16.3 µmol Trolox equivalents per gram on ORAC, and the darkest, such as buckwheat, scored highest. In 2022, a Polish team measured colour, total phenolics and two antioxidant tests on 49 honeys, each from a different beekeeper.

Darker honey, more phenolics: one study, same jars

Each dot is the mean of one honey type in a Polish study of 49 honeys. Across all 49 samples, colour tracked total phenolics (Spearman r = 0.77) and the FRAP antioxidant test (r = 0.68); the DPPH test did not track colour. Source: Puścion-Jakubik et al. 2022.

Honey colour in mm Pfund against total phenolics, 8 Polish honey typesBuckwheat: 166.4 mm Pfund, 182.6 mg GAE per 100 g. Heather: 125.2 mm Pfund, 91.78 mg GAE per 100 g. Multifloral (dark): 124.4 mm Pfund, 187.6 mg GAE per 100 g. Nectar–honeydew: 115.2 mm Pfund, 57.08 mg GAE per 100 g. Honeydew: 109.9 mm Pfund, 86 mg GAE per 100 g. Rape (canola): 81.47 mm Pfund, 33.18 mg GAE per 100 g. Linden: 43.5 mm Pfund, 29.23 mg GAE per 100 g. Multifloral (light): 33.3 mm Pfund, 32.04 mg GAE per 100 gBuckwheat: 166.4 mm Pfund, 182.6 mg GAE/100 gBuckwheatHeather: 125.2 mm Pfund, 91.78 mg GAE/100 gHeatherMultifloral (dark): 124.4 mm Pfund, 187.6 mg GAE/100 gMultifloral (dark)Nectar–honeydew: 115.2 mm Pfund, 57.08 mg GAE/100 gNectar–honeydewHoneydew: 109.9 mm Pfund, 86 mg GAE/100 gHoneydewRape (canola): 81.47 mm Pfund, 33.18 mg GAE/100 gRape (canola)Linden: 43.5 mm Pfund, 29.23 mg GAE/100 gLindenMultifloral (light): 33.3 mm Pfund, 32.04 mg GAE/100 gMultifloral (light)

Buckwheat was the darkest group (166.4 mm) with 182.6 mg of phenolics per 100 g; linden (43.5 mm) had 29.23. The exceptions matter as much as the trend: heather and dark multifloral honey sat at the same colour with 91.78 and 187.6 mg, and honeydew honey (109.9 mm) scored higher on FRAP (0.323) than the darker heather (0.141).

What the correlation means practically

Between two jars of the same kind of honey, the darker one is the better bet for more phenolics. Across different kinds, colour is a rough guide only. And these are Polish honeys; a US jar of the same name can differ.

Three Things That Change Honey’s Color

1. Floral source

The main driver. In the IHC sheets, mean colour runs from 12.4 mm for rhododendron and 12.9 mm for acacia to 87.9 mm for chestnut and 100.8 mm for Metcalfa honeydew.

2. Heat and age (darkens)

Honey heated at 50–70 °C for up to 12 days formed more brown pigment the hotter and longer it was heated, and its DPPH antioxidant activity rose with the browning (Turkmen et al. 2006). A heat-darkened jar can look and test "richer" without more of its original phenolics. HMF, the standard marker of heating and age, is capped in the EU at 40 mg/kg (80 mg/kg for declared tropical honey).

Sources: Turkmen et al. 2006, Food Chem 95:653–657; Directive 2001/110/EC.

3. Crystallization (lightens)

Glucose crystals scatter light, so crystallized honey looks paler and opaque. The composition is unchanged; warm the jar gently and the original colour returns. Compare colours in liquid honey only.

For the difference between pale liquid color and a white, spreadable texture, read our white honey guide.

Manuka: Graded by Lab Test, Not Colour

Manuka is sold on a lab number. Its UMF and MGO grades come from tests for methylglyoxal (MGO) and other manuka markers, not from colour or antioxidant tests. The colour of a manuka jar tells you nothing about its grade; the number on the label does. See our manuka guide for what the grades mean.

Practical Buyer Guide: Match Color to Purpose

For more phenolics

Buy dark. In the Polish study the highest group means were dark multifloral (187.6) and buckwheat (182.6 mg per 100 g), both Dark Amber. Within one kind of honey, pick the darker jar.

For manuka

Ignore colour and read the MGO or UMF number on the label.

For neutral sweetening and baking

Buy pale: acacia (12.9 mm) and citrus honeys average Extra White in the IHC sheets. Pale honey will not darken batters or cover delicate fruit flavours.

For bold flavor (cooking, cheeseboards)

Buy darker honeys: chestnut, honeydew, heather or buckwheat. Pair with strong cheeses, game and dark bread.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Pfund scale for honey?
A colour scale in millimetres, read on a Pfund grader against a wedge of amber glass. The USDA standards for extracted honey (effective May 23, 1985) use it to define seven colour designations: Water White (8 mm or less), Extra White (over 8 to 17), White (over 17 to 34), Extra Light Amber (over 34 to 50), Light Amber (over 50 to 85), Amber (over 85 to 114) and Dark Amber (over 114). The same standards say colour is not a factor of quality for their grades, and that the Pfund grader, though used by the industry, is not the officially approved device for setting a USDA colour designation (USDA standard).
Does honey color indicate flavor?
Often, not always. Pale honeys such as acacia honey (12.9 mm on average in the IHC sheets) taste mild; dark ones such as buckwheat honey taste strong. But aroma does not need colour: lavender honey (33.3 mm) and linden honey (33.3 mm) are pale and strongly aromatic.
Does darker honey always have more antioxidants?
On average, darker honey had more. In 49 Polish honeys, colour tracked total phenolics (Spearman r = 0.77) and the FRAP antioxidant test (r = 0.68), but not the DPPH test (Puścion-Jakubik et al. 2022), and in a 2002 ORAC study the darkest honeys, such as buckwheat, scored highest (Gheldof & Engeseth 2002). Not always: Polish heather (125.2 mm) and dark multifloral honey (124.4 mm) were the same colour, yet averaged 91.78 and 187.6 mg of phenolics per 100 g.
Why does honey get lighter when it crystallizes?
Glucose crystals scatter light, so crystallized honey looks paler and opaque. Its composition has not changed. Warm the jar gently and the crystals dissolve and the original colour returns. Compare honey colour in liquid honey only.
Can heating change honey's color?
Yes, it darkens it. In one study, honey heated at 50, 60 and 70 °C for up to 12 days formed more brown pigment the hotter and longer it was heated, and its DPPH antioxidant activity rose with the browning (Turkmen et al. 2006). So a heat-darkened honey can test higher on an antioxidant assay without containing more of its original phenolics. HMF is the usual marker of heating and age; the EU caps it at 40 mg/kg, or 80 mg/kg for honey of declared tropical origin (Directive 2001/110/EC).
What color is the healthiest honey?
No colour has been shown to be healthier. Darker honeys had more phenolics in lab tests, but no study has compared a health outcome between dark and pale honey. Pick by flavour and use.
Why is manuka honey not dark if it has so many benefits?
Manuka is not graded by colour. Its UMF and MGO grades come from lab tests for methylglyoxal (MGO) and other manuka markers, so the colour of a manuka jar tells you nothing about its grade. Buy manuka by the number on the label.
What does "water white" honey mean?
The palest USDA colour designation: 8 mm Pfund or less, nearly colourless. None of the 15 European types in the IHC sheets averages that pale; the lightest means are rhododendron (12.4 mm) and acacia honey (12.9 mm), both Extra White. The term describes colour only, not quality.

Sources and Updates

Updated : An earlier version showed 12 varieties with estimated Pfund values and per-variety ORAC (acacia 65 to buckwheat 796 µmol TE/100 g) and credited a 2002 study with a colour–ORAC correlation of r ≈ 0.76. Those numbers are not in the cited studies, so we replaced them with measured colour means and the Polish colour–phenolics data.

Related Guides

Honey Color Scale Chart

Interactive Pfund color grades explained.

Read Guide

Quality & Grading

Identify quality honey and spot fakes.

Read Guide

Honey Types Explained

Raw, filtered, pasteurized, creamed, and more.

Read Guide
RHG

Edited by Sam French · Raw Honey Guide Editorial Team

Source reviewed against primary literature and official guidance where available. Health content is educational, not medical advice, and does not replace a licensed clinician.

Source reviewedHealth disclaimerEditorial Policy ↗
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