Durian for Buyers: Botanical Name, ASEAN Standard, Classes, Sizes, HS Code and Labels

Check which product a durian standard covers before you cite it in a specification. The ASEAN Standard for Durian (ASEAN Stan 1:2006, Rev.1-2012) applies to "commercial varieties of durian grown from Durio spp. of the Bombacaceae family, to be supplied fresh to the consumer". The Thai Agricultural Standard for durian, TAS 3-2013, does not apply to durian used for processing (our translation), and the Philippine standard, PNS/BAFS 12:2024, says "Durians for industrial processing are excluded." None of the standards read sets grades for frozen pulp or paste. This guide covers botanical names, the ASEAN classes and size codes, national differences, market names, HS codes, labels and supplier questions.

Which Botanical Name Do Official Texts Give for Durian?

The texts read do not agree on one name. The ASEAN standard and the Thai standard both name "Durio spp." of the family "Bombacaceae", which does not name a single species. The Philippine standard narrows its scope to durians "grown from Durio zibethinus L. of the Bombacaceae family".

Indonesia's BPOM Regulation 13 of 2023 lists several species in its table of plant raw materials without restriction of use (our translation), each with the fruit as the part that can be used: "Durian daun" against "Durio zibethinus", "Durian lahong" against "Durio dulcis", "Durian lai" against "Durio kutejensis", "Durian merah" against "Durio graveolens", and "Durian" with six other local names against "Durio spp.". BPOM prints the plain name "Durian" only against "Durio spp.".

On a specification, the word durian alone does not fix the species, so ask for the botanical name.

What Does the ASEAN Standard for Durian Cover?

The ASEAN standard covers whole fresh fruit. Its minimum requirements apply in all classes, subject to the special provisions for each class and the tolerances, and the first of them is that the durian must be "whole with sound peduncle intact".

It sets three classes, graded partly by the number of fertile locules, which its definitions annex describes as follows: "Fertile locule means the external appearance of durian locule is visibly fully developed throughout the length of the fruit." An "Extra" class fruit should carry a minimum of 4 fertile locules, a Class I fruit 3 and a Class II fruit 2. For the varieties Garnyao and Gradoomtong, each class asks for one more: 5, 4 and 3.

Size is coded by weight per fruit:

• Size code 1: ">4" kg
• Size code 2: ">3-4" kg
• Size code 3: ">2-3" kg
• Size code 4: ">1-2" kg
• Size code 5: "0.5-1" kg

Each shipment may include fruit that fails its class: up to 5 per cent by number in the "Extra" class, provided it meets Class I or, exceptionally, comes within the Class I tolerances, and up to 10 per cent by number in Class I on the same terms against Class II. In Class II the 10 per cent by number excludes fruit affected by rotting or unfit for consumption. For size, "For all classes a maximum of 10% by number in each shipment of durians corresponding to the size immediately above or below the size indicated is allowed." An annex lists minimum and maximum weights for 28 named varieties, which a footnote says are from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Which Durian Products Do the Standards Leave Out?

Every durian standard read is a fresh-fruit standard. The ASEAN scope is fruit "to be supplied fresh to the consumer". The Thai standard applies to commercially produced varieties for fresh consumption and does not apply to durian used for processing (our translation). The Philippine standard covers durians "to be supplied fresh to the consumer after preparation and packaging" and excludes durians for industrial processing; its foreword lists that exclusion as a change from the 2004 edition. Vietnam's draft national standard (draft 3, 2025), titled "Sầu riêng quả tươi", fresh durian fruit (our translation), covers Ri6, DONA and other durian varieties produced in Vietnam as fresh fruit for export and domestic consumption (our translation).

Malaysian food law also separates fresh fruit from frozen fruit and pulp. Malaysia's Food Regulations 1985 (English text updated until August 2026) say "Raw fruit or fresh fruit shall be the fruit that is not dried, pulped, dehydrated, frozen, canned, candied or pickled." Regulation 228 defines a fruit product as "any food prepared from fruit". Regulation 244 defines fruit pulp as "the pulped parts of raw fruit from which no juice has been extracted", while regulation 245 defines fruit puree or fruit paste as "the concentrated fruit juice containing not less than 25 per cent w/w of total solids". The regulations have no entry for durian.

A frozen durian pulp or paste therefore falls outside the ASEAN classes and size codes as written. For frozen pulp or paste, define the product in the purchase specification and check the labelling requirements of the destination market.

How Do the National Durian Standards Differ?

The Thai and Philippine standards keep the three classes and five size codes, with differences a buyer should read. The Vietnamese document reviewed is labelled draft 3 and dated 2025.

Thailand. According to its cover and foreword, TAS 3-2013 was published in the Royal Gazette on 13 February B.E. 2557 (2014) and drew on the ASEAN standard among its guidance documents (our translation). Its classes are headed "ชั้นพิเศษ (Extra Class)", "ชั้นหนึ่ง (Class I)" and "ชั้นสอง (Class II)". The Extra Class quality tolerance is up to 10 per cent by number or weight for fruit meeting Class I or its tolerance, but no tolerance is allowed for the number of locules. For every size code, up to 25 per cent by number or weight may be the immediately larger or smaller size (our translation). The ASEAN text allows 5 and 10 per cent respectively, counted by number only.

Philippines. PNS/BAFS 12:2024 replaces the 2004 edition. It says "Durians may be sized by weight or in accordance with existing trade practices", and when trade practice is used, "the package shall be labeled with the size and method used". Its weight table may be used on an optional basis. The quality tolerances are 5 per cent for Extra Class and 10 per cent for Class I, for fruit meeting the next class or, exceptionally, its tolerances. Class II allows 10 per cent failing its class or minimum requirements, excluding rotting or other deterioration rendering fruit unfit for consumption. The size tolerance is 10 per cent, restricted to the immediately larger or smaller size. All are by number or weight.

Vietnam. The draft names the varieties Ri6 and DONA in its scope and, per its foreword, would replace TCVN 10739:2015 (our translation). It is a draft, so check its status before citing it.

What Is Durian Called in Each Market?

The ASEAN standard's annex of vernacular names prints "Durian" for Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, "Lay" as a second Indonesian name, "Tu rian" for Cambodia, "Thurian" for Laos and "Sau Rieng" for Vietnam, without Vietnamese diacritics. The annex has no row for Thailand or Singapore.

Thailand. The cover of TAS 3-2013 prints "ทุเรียน" above "DURIAN".

Vietnam. The draft national standard prints "Sầu riêng quả tươi" with "Fresh Durian" as its English title.

Indonesia. BPOM prints durian names against species, as set out above, including "Durian daun", "Durian lahong", "Durian lai" and "Durian merah".

How Is Durian Classified for Trade?

In the 2022 edition of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) HS nomenclature, heading 08.10 reads "Other fruit, fresh." and subheading 0810.60 reads "- Durians". Note 2 to chapter 8 says "Chilled fruits and nuts are to be classified in the same headings as the corresponding fresh fruits and nuts."

For frozen fruit, heading 08.11 reads "Fruit and nuts, uncooked or cooked by steaming or boiling in water, frozen, whether or not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter." None of its subheadings names durian, and this guide assigns frozen durian no heading or subheading.

A paste may fall elsewhere again. Chapter 20 does not name durian; its heading 20.07 covers "fruit or nut purée and fruit or nut pastes, obtained by cooking", and its Note 1(a) excludes fruit "prepared or preserved by the processes specified in Chapter 7, 8 or 11". Which heading applies depends on how the product was made, which this guide does not assess. National tariff schedules and the HS Explanatory Notes were not checked.

What Must a Durian Label Show?

For consumer packages, the ASEAN standard applies "In addition to the requirements of the Codex General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods (CODEX STAN 1-1985, Rev.1-1991)", and says "Each package shall be labeled as to the name of the produce and may be labeled as to the name of the variety and/or commercial type". The Philippine standard uses the same sentence and adds country of origin and, "when required for the safety and integrity of the product", date marking.

For non-retail containers, the ASEAN standard lists the "Name and address of Exporter, Packer and/or Dispatcher", the name of the produce and variety or commercial type, the country of origin, and commercial identification by produce name, class and size, with variety name, number of units and net weight optional. The information may appear on the package or in the documents accompanying the shipment.

The Thai standard requires additional particulars for produce sold directly to consumers (our translation). The label must identify the produce as "ทุเรียน" and give its variety name, net weight, class, size code and/or size, and the specified producer, packer or seller details. Imported produce must identify the importer by name and address. Country of production is required except for produce produced for domestic sale. Production and/or packing date is required. Text must be in Thai for domestic sale; foreign-language text is permitted for export (our translation).

Unless the Regulations provide otherwise, regulation 11(1)(a) requires a packaged pulp or paste sold in Malaysia to bear "the appropriate designation of the food or a description of the food containing the common name of its principal ingredients"; where those ingredients have no common name, it permits an appropriate descriptive term that is not misleading. Regulation 2 defines the appropriate designation as a specific, not a generic, name or description that indicates the true nature of the food to the prospective purchaser.

What Should You Ask a Durian Supplier?

• Botanical name. Ask for the species on the specification. The ASEAN and Thai standards cover "Durio spp.", the Philippine standard Durio zibethinus L., and BPOM lists four named Durio species with different local names.
• Product form. Ask whether the lot is whole fresh fruit, frozen whole fruit, frozen pulp or paste. The ASEAN, Thai and Philippine grades apply only to fresh fruit, so for pulp or paste ask which definition the product is sold against, for example Malaysia's fruit pulp definition in regulation 244.
• Standard and edition. If a fresh lot is sold against a standard, ask which one: ASEAN Stan 1:2006, Rev.1-2012, TAS 3-2013 or PNS/BAFS 12:2024. Their tolerances differ, and the Philippine text allows sizing by trade practice.
• Class, size code and variety. For fresh fruit, ask for the class and size code as printed in the standard cited, and the variety name, which the Thai standard requires on a consumer label (our translation).
• Trade code. Ask for the HS subheading on the shipping documents and the authority for it: 0810.60 names fresh durian, and no frozen or prepared subheading in the texts read names durian.

Does the ASEAN Standard for Durian Apply to Frozen Durian?

No, as written. Its scope is commercial varieties of durian "to be supplied fresh to the consumer", and its minimum requirements start with "whole with sound peduncle intact". The Thai standard excludes durian used for processing (our translation); the Philippine standard excludes durians for industrial processing. For frozen pulp or paste, agree a product specification with the supplier.

Which HS Subheading Covers Fresh Durian?

In the 2022 edition of the WCO HS nomenclature, fresh durian is subheading 0810.60, "- Durians", under heading 08.10, which reads "Other fruit, fresh." Chilled fruit is classified with the fresh fruit. National tariff schedules were not checked.

What Is Durian Called in Vietnam?

The ASEAN standard's vernacular names annex prints "Sau Rieng" for Vietnam, without diacritics. Vietnam's draft national standard for fresh durian (draft 3, 2025) is titled "Sầu riêng quả tươi".

What Do the Durian Size Codes Mean?

They group whole fruit by weight per fruit. In the ASEAN standard, code 1 is ">4" kg, code 2 ">3-4", code 3 ">2-3", code 4 ">1-2" and code 5 "0.5-1". The Philippine standard prints the same five codes as an optional guide.