Raw Sugar vs Refined Sugar: What Wholesale Buyers Need to Know

Almost every sugar grade traded internationally can be placed on a single spectrum: from raw sugar that has barely been processed beyond crystallization, to refined white sugar that has been crystallized, washed and decolourized until it is nearly pure sucrose. Understanding where a grade sits on that spectrum tells you its colour, its purity, its price, and crucially who it is for. This guide explains the difference for buyers — not as kitchen trivia, but as a sourcing decision with real cost implications.

The Core Difference

Raw sugar is the product of a single crystallization of cane juice. It retains some natural molasses, which gives it colour (higher ICUMSA), a lower polarization, and in most commodity trade it is an intermediate product — sold in bulk to refineries that process it further at the destination.

Refined sugar has been through multiple crystallizations, washing and decolourization to strip out molasses and colour. The result is high ICUMSA purity (low IU number), very high polarization (≥99.8%), and a finished product ready for direct use in food and beverage manufacturing.

The single most useful mental model: colour follows molasses, and price follows processing. More molasses means darker sugar, lower Pol, and — for commodity raw grades — a lower price. More refining means whiter sugar, higher Pol, and a higher price.

How Raw Sugar Is Produced

Raw cane sugar is made by crushing cane to extract juice, clarifying it, evaporating it to concentrate the sucrose, and crystallizing it once. The crystals are then spun in a centrifuge to remove a portion of the molasses. How much molasses is removed at this stage determines the grade.

The dominant commodity raw grade is VHP (Very High Polarization), traded as ICUMSA 600–1200. It has high sucrose content but is not intended for direct consumption — it goes to refineries. It is the highest-volume sugar type in international trade. See our ICUMSA 600–1200 page for specifications.

Some single-crystallization sugars are finished for direct consumption rather than sent to refineries — these are the specialty raw sugars like demerara and turbinado, where centrifugation is carefully controlled to retain just enough molasses for colour and flavour.

How Refined Sugar Is Produced

Refined white sugar takes raw sugar (or cane juice) considerably further: the sugar is repeatedly dissolved, filtered, decolourized (often through carbon filtration) and recrystallized to remove essentially all molasses and colour. The output is graded on the ICUMSA scale by how white and pure it is.

ICUMSA 45 is the global benchmark refined grade — brilliant white, ≥99.8% Pol, used directly in food, beverage and confectionery manufacturing. See Brazilian ICUMSA 45 sugar.

ICUMSA 150 is a refined white grade a step below 45 IU. See refined ICUMSA 150 sugar.

ICUMSA 35 is an extra-refined, pharmaceutical-grade white. See ICUMSA 35.

A Note on "Brown" and Specialty Sugars

This is where buyers most often get confused, so it is worth stating plainly. There are two completely different ways to get a brown sugar:

Naturally-processed specialty sugars — like demerara and muscovado — keep their molasses from the original single crystallization. The molasses is part of the crystal.

Commercial brown sugar is the opposite: it is fully refined white sugar with molasses blended back in afterwards. Same brown colour, completely different production path, different texture (fine and soft rather than large and crunchy), and different functional behaviour in manufacturing.

Knowing which one a "brown sugar" offer actually is — naturally processed or refined-plus-molasses — is essential to specifying correctly and not overpaying. For the full specialty range and how each grade compares, see our types of sugar complete guide.

Raw vs Refined: Side by Side

Property	Raw (VHP / ICUMSA 600–1200)	Refined (ICUMSA 45)
Crystallizations	Single	Multiple
ICUMSA colour	600–1200 IU	45 IU
Polarization	≥98%	≥99.8%
Molasses retained	Partial	None
Primary buyer	Refineries	Food/beverage manufacturers
Use	Refinery feedstock	Direct consumption/manufacturing
Relative price	Lower (commodity)	Higher (finished)

Which Should You Source?

If you operate or supply a refinery, raw VHP/ICUMSA 600–1200 is your feedstock. If you manufacture food or beverages and need neutral colour and flavour with maximum purity, refined ICUMSA 45 (or 150/35 depending on your spec) is the answer. If you serve specialty retail, café or craft channels, the naturally-processed specialty sugars — demerara, muscovado, turbinado — are where the premium and the differentiation live.

Whichever you choose, verify ICUMSA colour, polarization and moisture against a COA from an accredited inspector (SGS, Bureau Veritas, Intertek) before you contract.

Need help matching a grade to your application? Contact us for specifications and competitive wholesale pricing.