Olive Oil Grades Explained: Extra Virgin, Virgin, Olive Oil and Pomace

Olive oil is not one product but a family of grades with very different flavors, uses and prices. Buying the wrong grade means either paying extra virgin prices for a fryer, or putting a flat, neutral oil on a salad that needed real olive flavor. This guide explains each grade, the limits that define it and where it fits.

Who sets the grades

Internationally, olive oil grades are defined by the trade standard of the International Olive Council (IOC). The European Union sets legally binding grades in its own regulations, closely aligned with the IOC. In the United States, the Department of Agriculture publishes voluntary grade standards, again with similar limits. The grades are based on two kinds of test:

• Chemical tests, such as free acidity (free fatty acids, expressed as oleic acid), peroxide value and other markers of quality and purity.
• Sensory tests, carried out by a trained tasting panel, which score fruitiness and look for defects such as rancid, fusty or musty flavors.

The grades at a glance

Grade	How it is made	Free acidity	Taste	Best for
Extra virgin olive oil	Mechanical extraction only, no refining	0.8% max.	Fruity, with no sensory defects	Dressings, finishing, dipping, premium retail
Virgin olive oil	Mechanical extraction only, no refining	2.0% max.	Fruity, minor defects allowed	Everyday cooking with olive flavor
Refined olive oil	Virgin oils refined to remove defects	0.3% max.	Neutral	Food manufacturing and blending
Olive oil (refined and virgin blend)	Refined olive oil blended with virgin olive oil	1.0% max.	Mild	Everyday cooking, sautéing, frying
Olive pomace oil	Oil recovered from olive paste, refined, then blended with virgin olive oil	1.0% max.	Mild, neutral	Economical frying and food service

Limits are from the IOC trade standard and the USDA grade standards, which agree on these values. There are also grades that are not sold directly to consumers: lampante virgin olive oil, which has defects or high acidity and must be refined before it can be eaten, and crude olive pomace oil, which is likewise refined before use.

Each grade in more detail

Extra virgin olive oil

The top grade. It is extracted from olives by mechanical means only, without refining, and must have free acidity of 0.8% or less, a peroxide value within the limit for the grade, and, when tasted by a panel, some fruitiness and no defects. Good extra virgin oil can taste green, grassy, bitter or peppery; that bitterness and pungency come from natural polyphenols and are signs of quality, not faults.

Virgin olive oil

Also unrefined and mechanically extracted, but allowed higher acidity, up to 2.0%, and slight sensory defects. It keeps olive flavor at a lower price than extra virgin, but is less common on shelves in many markets.

Refined olive oil

Virgin oils with defects or high acidity are refined to remove them. The result is a neutral, pale oil with very low acidity, used mainly as an ingredient and as the base for blended olive oil.

“Olive oil”, also sold as pure, classic or light

Plain “olive oil” is refined olive oil blended with some virgin olive oil for color and flavor. It is milder than extra virgin, more stable for cooking and lower in price. Words such as “pure”, “classic”, “mild” or “light” on these bottles describe flavor and color only. “Light” olive oil has the same calories as any other olive oil.

Olive pomace oil

After pressing, the leftover olive paste, or pomace, still contains some oil. It is extracted, refined and blended with virgin olive oil. Pomace oil is the most economical grade and is widely used for frying and in food service. Under IOC rules it may never be sold simply as “olive oil”; it must be labeled as olive pomace oil.

Which grade for which use

• Salads, dressings, dipping and finishing: extra virgin, where its flavor is the point.
• Sautéing, roasting and everyday cooking: olive oil (the refined and virgin blend), or extra virgin if you want more flavor.
• Frying and high-volume kitchens: olive oil or olive pomace oil, which cost less and have a neutral taste.
• Sauces, ready meals and food manufacturing: refined olive oil or olive oil, for consistent, neutral results.
• Retail: extra virgin in 1-liter bottles as the premium line, with olive oil in 1-liter and 5-liter bottles as the everyday option.

The North American Olive Oil Association gives smoke points of about 177–210 °C (350–410 °F) for extra virgin olive oil and about 199–242 °C (390–468 °F) for olive oil and “extra light” olive oil. See our smoke point chart for other oils.

Freshness and storage

• Extra virgin oil is best fresh. Its flavor and aroma fade over time, so it is at its best within months of opening. Our olive oils carry a shelf life of about 18 months from bottling, unopened.
• Protect it from light, heat and air. Light and oxygen are the main causes of rancidity in virgin oils. Store bottles in their cartons or in a dark, cool place, and keep containers closed.
• Cloudiness in the cold is normal. Olive oil can cloud or form small solid flakes when chilled. It clears again at room temperature, and the quality is unaffected.

Buying olive oil in bulk

• Specify the grade by its standard name, for example “extra virgin olive oil to the IOC trade standard”, rather than a marketing name.
• Check the Certificate of Analysis. Free acidity, peroxide value and the other parameters should be within the limits for the grade you ordered. Our guide to reading a Certificate of Analysis explains them.
• Expect prices to move with the harvest. Olive oil prices follow olive harvests, which vary a great deal from year to year with weather in the main growing regions.
• Mix grades on one order. Many kitchens and retailers buy extra virgin for the table and olive oil or pomace oil for cooking in the same shipment.

We supply olive oil in every main IOC grade, from 1-liter bottles to 20,000-liter flexitanks, and each lot is tested against the limits for its grade. See our olive oil page for specifications, and add the grades you need to your quote list.

Sources

• International Olive Council: Trade standard for olive oils and olive pomace oils (COI/T.15/NC No 3)
• USDA Agricultural Marketing Service: Grades of olive oil and olive-pomace oil
• North American Olive Oil Association: Understanding cooking oil smoke points