# What is the order of the steps on an egg grading line?

> An egg grading line carries out four procedures under Brazil's RIISPOA: shell assessment, candling, grading and checking the packaging. Pre-selection is required on flows with washing before candling, and washing is mandatory only for dirty, intact eggs going to processing. A surface camera usually sits before candling.

Updated: 2026-10-09 · URL: https://vigiovo.com/en/resources/egg-grading-line-layout · Português: https://vigiovo.com/recursos/ordem-das-etapas-na-linha-de-classificacao.md

## Key takeaways

- Article 223 lists four procedures: shell assessment, candling, grading and checking the packaging.
- Pre-selection is mandatory only on some flows with washing before candling (MAPA, question 24).
- A dirty cracked egg is not washed or used for egg products (art. 228) and must be discarded (question 5).
- A surface camera sits before candling, but it does not replace candling or pre-selection.

## What are the mandatory steps on the line?

Article 223 of RIISPOA requires four procedures from egg establishments, in the order they appear in the text. The regulation does not detail the physical layout, but each procedure needs its place on the line.

1. Assess the general cleanliness and integrity of the shell (item I).
2. Examine the eggs by candling (item II).
3. Grade the eggs as Class A or Class B (item III and art. 224), and by weight under RTIQ (art. 224, sole paragraph).
4. Check the hygiene and integrity of the packaging (item IV).

A farm that grades only its own production follows the same steps, since the definition of a poultry farm includes candling and grading (art. 20, § 1º). See [egg grading on small farms](https://vigiovo.com/en/resources/egg-grading-on-small-farms).

## Where does washing fit, and when is it mandatory?

Washing is mandatory only for dirty, intact eggs going to processing (MAPA, question 28; question 38, which cites art. 18 of Ordinance 612). Cracked eggs cannot be washed (question 28), and washing must be done entirely by mechanical means, at any size of establishment (question 30).

So washing does not apply to every egg on the line. It is a step in one flow, not a step every egg passes through. For the procedure, see [washing eggs for processing](https://vigiovo.com/en/resources/washing-eggs-for-processing).

## Where does pre-selection go?

Pre-selection sits before candling, and it is mandatory only on flows with washing before candling: in a continuous line, or when washing, even in equipment outside the line, happens together with grading (question 24).

At this step, dirty cracked eggs are discarded on the spot, and cracked eggs with clean shells are set aside for breaking. Those clean eggs may go for breaking without candling (question 25). See [egg pre-selection](https://vigiovo.com/en/resources/egg-pre-selection) for the details.

## Where does each type of egg go on the line?

Each type of egg has a destination set by the rules cited. A dirty cracked egg has no use as human food, and a clean cracked egg with intact membranes goes to processing. Clean, intact eggs go on to grading as Class A or Class B.

**Destination by type of egg, based on the rules cited**

| Type of egg | Destination | Basis |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Dirty and cracked | Discarded at once, or broken into an identified container | MAPA, questions 5 and 26; RIISPOA, art. 228 |
| Clean and cracked, membranes intact | Processing, as quickly as possible | RIISPOA, art. 227 |
| Dirty and intact, for processing | Mechanical washing before processing | MAPA, questions 28 and 30 |
| Clean and intact | Grading as Class A or Class B | RIISPOA, art. 224 |

For disposal step by step, see [disposing of dirty cracked eggs](https://vigiovo.com/en/resources/disposing-of-dirty-cracked-eggs).

## Where does the camera go on the line?

A surface camera sits before candling, because it sees the shell, which is what the assessment in item I covers. It can remove dirty and visibly cracked eggs before the interior check, but it does not replace candling or pre-selection.

The comparison of placing the camera before or after candling is in [camera before or after candling](https://vigiovo.com/en/resources/camera-before-or-after-candling). Per-egg records also help show what the line did at each step, which [traceability with separate flows](https://vigiovo.com/en/resources/egg-traceability-separate-flows) calls for when more than one type of egg is handled.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is pre-selection always mandatory?

No. Under MAPA question 24, it is mandatory only when the flow has washing before candling in a continuous line, or when eggs coming back from the washer mix with those entering grading. Without that washing, the answer does not require the step.

### Where does washing sit on the line?

Washing is mandatory only for dirty, intact eggs going to processing, and it must be mechanical (MAPA, questions 28 and 30). Cracked eggs cannot be washed. So washing does not apply to every egg on the line, and each flow must be described in the self-control programme.

### Must the camera come before candling?

No rule in the cited texts requires a position for a surface camera. The order that usually makes most sense in practice is to place it before candling, so that dirty and visibly cracked eggs are removed before the interior check. That is a practical assessment.

## Sources

- [Decreto nº 9.013/2017 (RIISPOA)](https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2015-2018/2017/decreto/d9013.htm), Presidência da República (Brasil)
- [Perguntas e respostas sobre a Portaria MAPA nº 612/2022 (versão de 05/06/2023)](https://wikisda.agricultura.gov.br/manual_ovos/perguntas_e_respostas_port612_2023.pdf), Ministério da Agricultura e Pecuária (MAPA)

## Read next

- [Washing eggs for industrial processing: good practice](https://vigiovo.com/en/resources/washing-eggs-for-processing.md) (Guide, 2026-10-09): Which eggs must be washed for industrial processing, how to separate cracked eggs before the washer, and how to keep washing mechanical and traceable.
- [Egg grading on small farms](https://vigiovo.com/en/resources/egg-grading-on-small-farms.md) (Guide, 2026-10-09): What a small poultry farm must do when grading eggs under RIISPOA, which steps are mandatory, and how to start with a camera.
- [Dirty eggs: what counts as dirty and how to grade them](https://vigiovo.com/en/resources/dirty-egg-grading.md) (Guide, 2026-10-09): When an egg counts as dirty, whether it can be washed, where it goes under Brazilian and EU rules, and how to measure shell dirt with a camera.

## How Vigiovo helps

Vigiovo grades eggs on the conveyor as clean, dirty, cracked or unverified, in real time, with deterministic computer vision: every decision comes with the measurements behind it, on an ordinary CPU. https://vigiovo.com/en/how-it-works.md

4 min read.