U.S. Code of Federal Regulations
Regulations most recently checked for updates: Aug 28, 2025
(a) Classes. There are two classes for soybeans: Yellow soybeans and Mixed soybeans.
(1) Yellow soybeans. Soybeans that have yellow or green seed coats and which, in cross section, are yellow or have a yellow tinge, and may include not more than 10.0 percent of soybeans of other colors. Soybeans of other colors are soybeans that have black or bicolored seedcoats, as well as soybeans that have green seedcoats and are green in cross section. Bicolored soybeans will have seed coats of two colors, one of which is brown or black, and the brown or black color covers 50 percent of the seed coats. The hilum of a soybean is not considered a part of the seed coat for this determination.
(2) Mixed soybeans. Soybeans that do not meet the requirements of the class Yellow soybeans.
(b) Damaged kernels. Soybeans and pieces of soybeans that are badly ground-damaged, badly weather-damaged, diseased, frost-damaged, germ-damaged, heat-damaged, insect-bored, mold-damaged, sprout-damaged, stinkbug-stung, or otherwise materially damaged. Stinkbug-stung kernels are considered damaged kernels at the rate of one-fourth of the actual percentage of the stung kernels.
(c) Foreign material. All matter that passes through an
(d) Heat-damaged kernels. Soybeans and pieces of soybeans that are materially discolored and damaged by heat.
(e) Purple mottled or stained. Soybeans that are discolored by the growth of a fungus; or by dirt; or by a dirt-like substance(s) including nontoxic inoculants; or by other nontoxic substances.
(f) Sieve—
(g) Splits. Soybeans with more than