# What are the steps of egg grading in Brazil?

> Egg grading for human consumption in Brazil has four mandatory steps under RIISPOA (art. 223): general shell inspection, candling, grading into Class A and Class B, and checking hygiene and packaging. Each step has its own criteria, and a surface camera covers only part of them.

Updated: 2026-10-09 · URL: https://vigiovo.com/en/resources/egg-grading-steps-brazil · Português: https://vigiovo.com/recursos/classificacao-de-ovos-etapas.md

## Key takeaways

- Grading has four mandatory steps: shell, candling, classification, and hygiene with packaging integrity (RIISPOA, art. 223).
- Candling is mandatory and is the examination that looks inside the egg. A surface camera does not replace it.
- Class A requires shell, air cell, yolk and white within limits (RIISPOA, art. 225); Class B eggs go only to industrial processing (art. 226).
- A clean cracked egg with an intact membrane goes to industrial processing; a dirty cracked egg may not be used for egg products (RIISPOA, arts. 227 and 228).

## What are the mandatory steps of egg grading?

RIISPOA lists four procedures that egg establishments must carry out (RIISPOA, art. 223). They apply both to a poultry farm and to an egg processing unit, since both definitions include candling and grading (RIISPOA, art. 20, § 1º and § 3º).

The table summarises each step and the provision it rests on.

**The four steps of RIISPOA, art. 223**

| Step | What the regulation requires | Basis |
| --- | --- | --- |
| I. General shell inspection | Cleanliness and integrity of the shell | RIISPOA, art. 223, I |
| II. Candling | Examination of the inside of the egg by [candling](https://vigiovo.com/en/resources/glossary#candling) | RIISPOA, art. 223, II, and art. 45 |
| III. Grading | Classes A and B; weight grading according to RTIQ | RIISPOA, arts. 224 to 226 |
| IV. Hygiene and packaging | Hygiene conditions and packaging integrity | RIISPOA, art. 223, IV |

## What does the general shell inspection check?

The first step checks that the shell is clean and intact. For Class A, the shell must be of normal shape, smooth, clean and intact (RIISPOA, art. 225, I). So a cracked or dirty egg is already outside Class A, even if the inside looks perfect.

Where each case goes depends on the state of the shell and the membrane. The guide to [cracked eggs](https://vigiovo.com/en/resources/how-to-identify-cracked-eggs) explains the difference between a check and a leaker.

## Why is candling mandatory, and what does it check?

[Candling](https://vigiovo.com/en/resources/glossary#candling) is mandatory: RIISPOA includes it among the procedures for egg establishments (art. 223, II) and requires facilities and equipment for it (art. 45). It is the examination that looks at the inside of the egg, with light passing through the shell.

The internal requirements of Class A are checked at this step: the [air cell](https://vigiovo.com/en/resources/glossary#air-cell) must be no higher than 6 mm and stationary, and the yolk must show only as a shadow (RIISPOA, art. 225, II and III).

A surface camera does not do this examination. Vigiovo, for example, measures dirt and visible cracks on the shell, but does not see the air cell, the yolk or [hairline cracks](https://vigiovo.com/en/resources/glossary#hairline-crack). The full comparison is in [candling vs computer vision](https://vigiovo.com/en/resources/candling-vs-computer-vision). Electronic candling equipment has its own rule, covered in [electronic candling](https://vigiovo.com/en/resources/electronic-candling-rules).

## How are eggs divided into Class A and Class B?

Class A covers the eggs that meet every characteristic in art. 225: normal, smooth, clean and intact shell; air cell no higher than 6 mm and stationary; yolk visible at candling only as a shadow; clear, translucent white without spots; and a germ with imperceptible development (RIISPOA, art. 225).

Class B covers harmless eggs that do not fall into Class A, eggs with small and few blood spots in the white and yolk, and eggs from breeding establishments that were not incubated (RIISPOA, art. 226, I to III). They are destined exclusively for industrial processing (art. 226, sole paragraph).

Weight grading must follow RTIQ (RIISPOA, art. 224, sole paragraph). The criteria for each class are in the guides on [Class A](https://vigiovo.com/en/resources/brazil-category-a-eggs) and [Class B](https://vigiovo.com/en/resources/brazil-category-b-eggs).

## Where do cracked, dirty or broken eggs go?

A clean cracked egg whose [shell membrane](https://vigiovo.com/en/resources/glossary#shell-membranes) is intact must go to industrial processing as quickly as possible (RIISPOA, art. 227). A dirty cracked egg may not be used or washed to make egg products (art. 228).

An egg whose shell and membranes are broken is unfit for human consumption (RIISPOA, art. 500, VII), and so is an egg with a broken and dirty shell (art. 500, VI).

To turn these steps into verification items, use the [egg grading line audit checklist](https://vigiovo.com/en/resources/egg-grading-line-audit-checklist).

## Frequently asked questions

### What are the mandatory steps of egg grading in Brazil?

RIISPOA, art. 223, lists four procedures: general inspection of shell cleanliness and integrity, candling, grading into Class A and Class B, and checking hygiene conditions and packaging integrity. Weight grading must follow RTIQ, under art. 224.

### Is candling mandatory in Brazil?

Yes. RIISPOA includes candling among the procedures egg establishments must carry out (art. 223, II) and requires facilities and equipment for it (art. 45). A surface camera does not replace candling, because it cannot see the air cell or the yolk.

### What does Class A require?

A normal, smooth, clean and intact shell; an air cell no higher than 6 mm and stationary; a yolk visible at candling only as a shadow; a clear, translucent white; and a germ with imperceptible development (RIISPOA, art. 225). A cracked egg does not meet the first requirement.

## Sources

- [Decreto nº 9.013/2017 (RIISPOA)](https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2015-2018/2017/decreto/d9013.htm), Presidência da República (Brasil)

## Read next

- [Brazil's Category A eggs: the five requirements](https://vigiovo.com/en/resources/brazil-category-a-eggs.md) (Guide, 2026-10-09): The five requirements RIISPOA sets for a Category A egg, explained one by one, with the check that verifies each: surface inspection or candling.
- [Brazil's Category B eggs: what they are and where they go](https://vigiovo.com/en/resources/brazil-category-b-eggs.md) (Guide, 2026-10-09): What a Category B egg is under RIISPOA, which defects place an egg in this class, why it goes only to industrial processing and how a downgrade is recorded.
- [How to identify cracked eggs: types, methods and rules](https://vigiovo.com/en/resources/how-to-identify-cracked-eggs.md) (Guide, 2026-10-09): What a cracked egg (check) is, how it differs from a leaker, which methods detect each kind of crack and where cracked eggs must go under the regulations.

## 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.