Uganda Robusta Screen 18 green coffee

What Screen 18 is

Uganda grades Robusta by passing the hulled green coffee over sieves with round holes measured in 64ths of an inch. Screen 18 beans are those retained on the 18/64-inch sieve, about 7.1 mm. Because bean size correlates with density and maturity, Screen 18 lots are typically the heaviest and most uniform Robusta grade, roast evenly and give the crema and body that espresso blenders look for. In December 2025 Screen 18 made up 12.1 percent of Uganda's Robusta exports at a reported export value of US$4.54 per kilogram, a premium of about ten cents over Screen 15 (MAAIF export report, December 2025).

Where it comes from

Most Screen 18 comes from the central belt north and west of Lake Victoria — Masaka, Mukono, Luwero and Mityana districts — where mature shade-grown trees at 1,100–1,300 metres produce large, dense cherry. Western districts contribute during their own harvest window. Read about the growing areas on the Central Robusta belt and West Nile page.

Uses

• Espresso blends: the classic role — body, crema and a cocoa backbone in Italian-style blends, typically at 10–40 percent of the blend.
• Single-origin Robusta: roasters featuring a Uganda Robusta on its own choose Screen 18 or washed lots for uniformity and a clean cup.
• Premium soluble: manufacturers positioning a higher-quality instant coffee specify Screen 18 for yield and flavour.

Price basis

We do not publish live prices. Uganda Robusta is priced as a differential to the London (ICE Europe) Robusta futures contract, FOB Mombasa, for a stated shipment month. Your quote will state the differential or a fixed price, the Incoterm, the shipment window and the payment terms. Reported historical export values by grade are on the Uganda Robusta hub for orientation.

Sample and pre-shipment process

An evaluation sample (typically 300 g) is sent by courier so you can check screen, moisture, defects and cup against the specification. Once contracted, a pre-shipment sample (PSS) is drawn from the prepared export lot and sent for approval; nothing is stuffed until you approve the PSS. Retained samples are kept for comparison with the arrival sample. Read the full sequence on How to import green coffee from Uganda.

Standard specification — Uganda Robusta Screen 18

Species / type

Coffea canephora (Robusta); Nganda, Erecta and Kisansa types

Grade

Screen 18 — beans retained on an 18/64" sieve (≈ 7.14 mm)

Screen retention

Stated per lot from the grading report; typically a minimum retention above screen 18 with a small tolerance of 17s

Process

Natural: cherry sun-dried whole (kiboko), hulled to FAQ, cleaned, screen-graded, density- and colour-sorted

Moisture

Maximum 12.5% at export inspection; measured value published per lot

Defects

Counted per 300 g sample at grading; tolerance per Uganda export standard; measured value published per lot

Cup

Heavy body, low acidity, cocoa and cereal notes, clean finish; lot-specific descriptors from the cupping report

Crop year

Stated per lot (Uganda coffee year runs October to September)

Packaging

60 kg jute bags, 320 bags per 20 ft container (19.2 t); hermetic liners on request

Incoterms

FOB Mombasa standard; FCA Kampala and CFR/CIF on request

Samples

300 g evaluation sample by courier; pre-shipment sample (PSS) from the prepared lot before stuffing

This is the standard against which lots are prepared. Measured values (moisture, defects, screen retention, cup) are published on each lot page from the grading and cupping reports and are never estimated.