Available
Uganda · Masaka & Greater Lake Victoria
- Species
- Robusta
- Process
- Natural
- Grade
- Screen 15
- Screen
- 15+
- Crop
- 2025/26
- Quantity
- Multi-container programme
Uganda · Grade
Uganda Robusta Screen 15
If Ugandan Robusta has a default specification, this is it. This page covers why, and how to contract it as a programme rather than a purchase.
- Species
- Robusta · Arabica
- Preparation
- Natural (Robusta) · Washed Arabica (WUGAR)
- Harvest
- Robusta main crop November–February with a fly crop April–July; Elgon Arabica October–February
Quick answer
Uganda Robusta Screen 15 is natural Robusta retained on a 15/64 inch screen — approximately 5.95 mm. It is the most widely traded East African Robusta specification, balancing availability against price, and is the standard input for commercial blends and soluble production.
Contract on: region · grade · screen · process · crop · moisture · defect tolerance · cup approval.
Request current uganda robusta screen 15Why screen 15 carries the volume
Screen 15 sits at the point where the size distribution is thickest. There is enough of it in any normal crop to support continuous multi-container supply, and it avoids the scarcity differential that screen 18 carries.
- Widely used in commercial roast-and-ground blends where Robusta contributes body and crema.
- The default input for much soluble production, where bean size matters less than yield and consistency.
- Supported by Uganda’s two harvest cycles, so it is rarely out of the market.
- Available in both bagged and bulk-lined presentations for volume programmes.
Contracting a programme
Screen 15 is normally bought as a programme across a season rather than as a single shipment. That changes what the contract needs.
- Volume
- Total across the season and the split by shipment
- Shipment pattern
- Fixed schedule or call-off with a stated notice period
- Price basis
- Differential to the London Robusta reference, with nominated months and a fixation window
- Governing sample
- One sample governs all shipments; each is verified against it
- Screen
- Retained on 15, maximum X% passing
- Defects
- Maximum total, black and broken capped separately
- Moisture
- Ceiling plus method — commonly around 12–13%
- Foreign matter
- Maximum, stones counted separately
- Crop transition
- How the main crop / fly crop changeover is handled
- Certification
- 4C where required
Presentation
| 60 kg jute | Bulk container liner | |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee per container | Slightly less — bag tare | Slightly more |
| Lot separation | Full | None within the container |
| Discharge | Manual or mechanical | Tipping or vacuum |
| Packaging cost | Higher | Lower |
Screen 15 programme enquiries
Tell us the annual volume, presentation and shipment pattern. We will quote on a programme basis.
Request Current Crop OfferLast reviewed 2 min read
The distinction that matters
What this grade does not tell you
A grade is a preparation class. Everything below is a separate contract field, and every one of them moves independently of the grade name.
What it does fix
Uganda Robusta Screen 15 encodes
- Bean size, as the screen the Robusta parcel is retained on
- Preparation method, through the WUGAR and DRUGAR designations
- For Bugisu, the size separation within a washed Elgon preparation
- For FAQ, that the parcel is unsized and sold on a stated defect basis
Use the grade to define the physical deliverable. Use the approved sample to define the cup. Both belong in the contract.
What it does not
Specify these separately
- Cup qualityTwo lots at the same grade from the same mill can cup several points apart. Only cupping tells you.
- Defect countA separate count on a defined sample, against a weighting table that differs by origin.
- MoistureA range plus the measurement method. Two meters on one parcel routinely disagree.
- Crop yearNothing in a grade name distinguishes current crop from a parcel that has been in store a year.
- DensityBulk density in g/L, which drives charge temperature and roast planning.
- Water activityStorage stability. Related to moisture but not derivable from it.
- TraceabilityCountry, station or day lot are different claims. A grade fixes none of them.
- Processing methodWashed, natural and honey can all carry the same grade at most origins.
Availability
Current Uganda Robusta Screen 15
Availability moves with the harvest, with milling and with prior commitments. Everything here is confirmed against the current crop on enquiry.
Available
Uganda · Masaka & Greater Lake Victoria
- Species
- Robusta
- Process
- Natural
- Grade
- Screen 18
- Screen
- 18+
- Crop
- 2025/26
- Quantity
- 3 × 20ft
LimitedSpecialty
Uganda · Bugisu (Mount Elgon)
- Species
- Arabica
- Process
- Fully washed
- Grade
- Bugisu AA
- Screen
- 18+
- Crop
- 2025/26
- Quantity
- 1 × 20ft
Baked apple · Cane sugar · Cedar
Upcoming crop
Uganda · West Nile (Okoro)
- Species
- Arabica
- Process
- Natural (DRUGAR)
- Grade
- DRUGAR screen 15+
- Screen
- 15+
- Crop
- 2025/26
- Quantity
- 1 × 20ft
Dried fig · Spice · Cocoa
Quality
Quality evaluation
Every parcel runs the same sequence before it is offered and again before it is loaded. What is reported for a given lot depends on what the buyer specifies.
- 01Physical gradePreparation class against the origin’s own system
- 02Screen distributionRetention plus the percentage passing
- 03Defect analysisFull defects per 300 g on a stated weighting table
- 04MoistureRange plus the measurement method and instrument
- 05Water activityWhere the buyer specifies it, for storage stability
- 06DensityBulk density in g/L, for roast planning
- 07Sample roastTo a cupping profile, not a commercial roast
- 08CuppingMultiple cups, against the approved sample
- 09Buyer approvalThe retained sample the shipment is measured against
Crop
Uganda crop calendar
Flowering, harvest, processing, milling and the export window. Regional cycles differ, so this is not one universal season.
Robusta — central, south and Masaka (main crop)
Crop year commonly quoted October–September
Stage
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Flowering
Cherry development
Harvest
Processing & drying
Dry milling & grading
Main export window
- Flowering: Feb–Apr
- Cherry development: Apr–Oct
- Harvest: Nov–Feb
- Processing & drying: Nov–Mar
- Dry milling & grading: Dec–Apr
- Main export window: Dec–Jun
The main Robusta crop supplies the bulk of Ugandan export volume.
Robusta — fly crop (western and lakeshore)
Crop year commonly quoted October–September
Stage
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Flowering
Cherry development
Harvest
Processing & drying
Dry milling & grading
Main export window
- Flowering: Aug–Oct
- Cherry development: Oct–Mar
- Harvest: Apr–Jul
- Processing & drying: Apr–Aug
- Dry milling & grading: May–Sep
- Main export window: May–Oct
The second, smaller cycle keeps Ugandan Robusta available for most of the year.
Arabica — Mount Elgon (Bugisu)
Crop year commonly quoted October–September
Stage
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Flowering
Cherry development
Harvest
Processing & drying
Dry milling & grading
Main export window
- Flowering: Feb–Apr
- Cherry development: Apr–Sep
- Harvest: Oct–Feb
- Processing & drying: Oct–Mar
- Dry milling & grading: Nov–Apr
- Main export window: Dec–Jul
Arabica — West Nile (Okoro) and Kigezi
Crop year commonly quoted October–September
Stage
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Flowering
Cherry development
Harvest
Processing & drying
Dry milling & grading
Main export window
- Flowering: Jan–Mar
- Cherry development: Mar–Jul
- Harvest: Aug–Nov
- Processing & drying: Aug–Dec
- Dry milling & grading: Oct–Feb
- Main export window: Oct–Apr
West Nile picks earlier than Elgon, which is what makes DRUGAR available ahead of the washed Elgon crop.
Export
Packing and export
- Ports of loading
- Mombasa (Northern Corridor), Dar es Salaam (Central Corridor)
- Bag standard
- 60 kg jute; Robusta also moves in bulk-lined containers
- Export window
- Year-round, with the heaviest Robusta shipments December–April
- Incoterms
- FOB · CFR · CIF
Compare
Against the other East African origins
Grade designations do not translate between origins, and harvest windows barely overlap. This is how the region compares at a glance.
| Origin | Species | Main preparation | Representative grades | Harvest | Ports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tanzania | Arabica · Robusta | Fully washed · Natural | AA · A · AB · B | June–October in the south; July–December in the north | Dar es Salaam · Tanga |
| Kenya | Arabica | Fully washed with soak · Mbuni (natural) | E · AA · AB · PB | Main crop October–December; early (fly) crop May–July | Mombasa |
| Ethiopia | Arabica | Fully washed · Natural (sun-dried) | Grade 1 · Grade 2 · Grade 3 · Grade 4 | October–January, varying by region and altitude | Djibouti (primary transit port) |
| Rwanda | Arabica | Fully washed · Natural (growing) | Grade 1 (fully washed) · Grade 2 · Screen 15+ · Screen 16+ | March–July, with the peak in April and May | Mombasa (Northern Corridor) · Dar es Salaam (Central Corridor) |
| Burundi | Arabica | Fully washed with soak · Natural (limited) | Grade A · Grade B · Screen 15+ · Screen 16+ | March–July | Dar es Salaam (Central Corridor) · Mombasa (Northern Corridor) |
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How many millimetres is screen 15?
Approximately 5.95 mm — a 15/64 inch perforation.
Why is screen 15 the most traded Ugandan Robusta grade?
Because it sits where availability and price meet. There is enough of it in a normal crop to support continuous programmes, and it avoids the scarcity differential attached to screen 18.
Can screen 15 be shipped in bulk?
Yes, using a bulk container liner — cheaper per kilo and faster to discharge, provided the destination has the equipment. It removes lot separation within the container.
How is a season-long Robusta programme priced?
Usually as a differential to the London Robusta futures reference, with nominated contract months and an agreed fixation window, rather than as a single outright price for the whole programme.
Request an offer
Tell us the Uganda coffee you need
Region, process, grade, screen, moisture, defect tolerance, crop year, packaging and destination. Send what you know and we will confirm what Uganda realistically supports for the current crop.