Buyer guide: Pleoticus muelleri grades
Argentine red shrimp sizes and grades: L1 to L5, C grades, peeled counts and per-lb conversions
One table for the official whole-shrimp grades, one for what suppliers publish for tails and peeled shrimp, and the arithmetic to move between pieces per kilogram and pieces per pound.
Last reviewed . First published 2026-11-11.
The official whole-shrimp grades (HOSO): L1 to L5
Argentina publishes one official grade table for whole, head-on, shell-on (HOSO) shrimp frozen at sea. It is part of the quality protocol for the voluntary "Alimentos Argentinos" seal, updated by SAGyP Resolution 98/2026 (published 30 June 2026). The protocol calls these "the standard commercial grades used by the outrigger trawler fleet" (calibres comerciales estandar utilizados por la flota tangonera).
| Grade | Pieces per kg (official) | Average piece weight (arithmetic) | Pieces per lb (arithmetic) |
|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | 10/20 | 50 to 100 g | 4.5 to 9.1 |
| L2 | 21/30 | 33.3 to 47.6 g | 9.5 to 13.6 |
| L3 | 31/40 | 25.0 to 32.3 g | 14.1 to 18.1 |
| L4 | 41/60 | 16.7 to 24.4 g | 18.6 to 27.2 |
| L5 | 61/80 | 12.5 to 16.4 g | 27.7 to 36.3 |
Pieces per kg: Resolution 98/2026, section 4.2, step e. The last two columns are our own arithmetic (1 lb = 0.45359237 kg; piece weight = 1,000 g divided by the count). They are not an official or trade grade. The protocol covers whole shrimp frozen on board in inner boxes of 1 or 2 kg.
The same five grades, with the same counts, appear on the whole sea-frozen shrimp page of Grupo Conarpesa, an Argentine producer.
Where published HOSO counts disagree
Not every seller writes the official boundaries. Some round them, and most foreign traders list only L1 to L3 or L1 to L4. The differences matter when a contract says "L2" and nothing else.
| Source | L1 | L2 | L3 | L4 | L5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official protocol (Res. 98/2026) | 10/20 | 21/30 | 31/40 | 41/60 | 61/80 |
| Conarpesa (AR) | 10/20 | 21/30 | 31/40 | 41/60 | 61/80 |
| Bal Fish (AR) | 10/20 | 21/30 | 31/40 | 41/60 | not listed |
| Seaman International | 10/20 | 21/30 | 31/40 | 41/60 (land frozen only) | not listed |
| CTLE Seafood (CA) | 10-20 | 20-30 | 30-40 | 40-60 | not listed |
| Wild Oceans (AU) | 10/20 | 20/30 | 30/40 | 40/60 | not listed |
| Ocean Phoenix (AU) | 10-20 | 20-30 | 30-40 | not listed | not listed |
What this means in practice: a "20/30" and a "21/30" L2 overlap almost completely, but they are not the same specification. Quote the boundary you need, and say whether you accept the official protocol table as the reference.
Grades also drive the federal fishery itself. The OIA certification report explains that, under CFP Resolution 9/2022, fishing areas are closed when L4 or smaller shrimp make up 20% or more of catches for four consecutive fishing days, or when the hake to shrimp ratio is above 20%. The same report quotes earlier CFP minutes that also named an L6 category. CFP survey notices report the size mix by grade, for example 60.94% L1 and 30.97% L2 in subarea 8 in June 2026 (CFP, 10 Jun 2026) and a predominance of L1 and L2 in subarea 7 (CFP, 6 Aug 2026).
Headless shell-on tails (HLSO): C grades and per-lb counts
There is no official Argentine table for tails in the sources we checked. Sellers use two systems: C grades in pieces per kilogram, and US-style counts in pieces per pound (ppl). Their C boundaries do not match.
| Source | C0 | C1 | C2 | C3 | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bal Fish (AR) | not listed | 30/55 | 56/100 | not listed | CR (unclassified); or U/15, 16/20, 21/25, 26/30 ppl |
| Seaman International | not listed | 30/55 | 56/100 | not listed | CR unclassified; U/15, 16/20, 21/25, 26/30 ppl (land frozen) |
| CTLE Seafood (CA) | not listed | 30-55 | 56-100 | not listed | |
| Wild Oceans (AU) | not listed | 30/55 | 56/100 | 101/150 | |
| Krusta (ES) | not listed | 30/55 | 55/100 | not listed | |
| Ocean Phoenix (AU) | 20-40 | not given | 60-80 | not listed | "C0 (20-40 pcs per kg) to C2 (60-80 pcs per kg)" |
All counts are pieces per kilogram unless marked ppl. C grades shown as published; we did not find a primary standard that defines them.
The conflicts to watch: C2 starts at 55 or 56 depending on the seller, Ocean Phoenix's C2 (60-80) is a much narrower band than everyone else's (56-100), and only one seller lists C3. "CR" means unclassified (mixed sizes).
Converting tail counts
| Published grade | Pieces per kg | Pieces per lb (arithmetic) |
|---|---|---|
| C1 | 30/55 | 13.6 to 24.9 |
| C2 | 56/100 | 25.4 to 45.4 |
| C3 | 101/150 | 45.8 to 68.0 |
| U/15 ppl | under 33.1 (arithmetic) | under 15 |
| 16/20 ppl | 35.3 to 44.1 (arithmetic) | 16/20 |
| 21/25 ppl | 46.3 to 55.1 (arithmetic) | 21/25 |
| 26/30 ppl | 57.3 to 66.1 (arithmetic) | 26/30 |
Conversions are arithmetic only (1 lb = 0.45359237 kg). A C1 carton is not interchangeable with a 16/20 ppl carton: the ranges overlap only in part.
Peeled shrimp: P&D, PDTO and EZ-peel
Peeled sizes are set by each processor. Two published examples:
| Presentation | Published sizes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Peeled and deveined (P&D / PCD) | XL 20/40 ppk, L 40/70, M 70/90, S 90/150; broken | Bal Fish, Seaman |
| Peeled and deveined, tail on (PDTO) | 16/20, 21/25, 16/25 ppl | Bal Fish, Seaman |
| EZ-peel (EZP) | U/15, 16/20, 16/25, 21/25, 26/30 ppl | Seaman |
Bal Fish publishes a per-pound equivalent next to each P&D size. Its equivalents are rounded trade labels, not exact conversions, as the arithmetic shows:
| Size | Pieces per kg (published) | Per lb as published by Bal Fish | Per lb (arithmetic) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extra large | 20/40 | 10/20 | 9.1 to 18.1 |
| Large | 40/70 | 21/30 | 18.1 to 31.8 |
| Medium | 70/90 | 31/40 | 31.8 to 40.8 |
| Small | 90/150 | 41/60 | 40.8 to 68.0 |
How to write the grade in a quote request
- Presentation first: HOSO, HLSO, P&D, PDTO or EZP. A grade code means nothing without it (L codes are for whole shrimp, C codes for tails).
- Write the count, not only the code: for example "L2 21/30 pcs/kg" or "HLSO 16/20 ppl". This removes the 20/30 versus 21/30 ambiguity.
- Name the reference: "grades per SAGyP Res. 98/2026" for whole sea-frozen shrimp, or "per supplier specification sheet" for tails and peeled.
- Say whether mixed or unclassified (CR) lots are acceptable, and what share of a container can be in a neighbouring grade.
- Freezing and packing: sea frozen or land frozen, block or IQF, inner box and master carton. See our sea-frozen vs land-frozen guide.
- Timing: the size mix changes through the season and between subareas. See the season tracker.
Sources for this page
All links checked 2026-11-11. Supplier pages are examples published by sellers, not standards. Full site list on our sources page.
- SAGyP Resolution 98/2026, quality protocol for whole sea-frozen Argentine shrimp (Boletin Oficial, 30 Jun 2026), full text on InfoLEG
- Grupo Conarpesa (Argentina), whole sea-frozen shrimp
- Bal Fish S.A. (Argentina), red shrimp product page
- Seaman International, product range page
- CTLE Seafood (Canada), Argentine red shrimp
- Wild Oceans (Australia), Argentine red shrimp
- Ocean Phoenix (Australia), shrimp range
- Krusta (Spain), HLSO Argentine red shrimp frozen on board
- OIA, Public Certification Report, Argentine red shrimp offshore fishery, v1.3, 11 Feb 2026 (copy hosted by Pescare)
- CFP notice, 10 Jun 2026: subareas 8 and 14 opened, size composition
- CFP notice, 6 Aug 2026: subarea 7 and north of 12 west opened, north of 14 closed
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