Wheat

Canadian wheat is specified by class, and the class does the work a specification sheet would do for a manufactured product. Classes are defined by end use and functional characteristic (protein, gluten strength, milling and baking performance) so a mill buying for pan bread and a mill buying for noodles want different classes from the same origin.

Canada Western Red Spring is the flagship high-protein blending class. Softer classes serve biscuit, cake and noodle applications where strong gluten is a liability rather than an asset.

Grade covers soundness and cleanliness; protein is contracted separately and is the variable most buyers optimise. Specify class, grade and protein together, and agree the basis on which protein is measured before contracting.

Wheat flour is a separate product regulatorily and commercially, not a form of wheat.