Dried Morel Price per KG: What Actually Moves the Number
Short answer: wholesale dried morels from Yunnan typically land between USD 120 and USD 320 per kilogram, depending on grade, cap size, trim, season and packing. There is no single market price — a quote is only meaningful once the product description beside it is fixed.
1. Grade and cap size set the floor and the ceiling
Size is the single largest multiplier. Morels are sorted by cap length, and the price curve is steep:
| Grade | Cap length | Typical use | Relative price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jumbo / AAA | > 7 cm | Fine dining, retail gift packs | 100% (baseline high) |
| Large / AA | 5–7 cm | Restaurant plating | 75–85% |
| Standard / A | 3–5 cm | Foodservice, sauces, blends | 55–70% |
| Small / industrial | < 3 cm, broken | Powder, soup bases, stuffing | 40–55% |
A jumbo lot can cost twice what a standard lot costs, and both are “dried morels”. If a quote looks cheap, the first question is always: which cap length, and what percentage of the lot is below it?
2. Stem trim and appearance
Two lots of the same size can differ by 20–30% in price on trim alone:
- Fully trimmed (stem cut close to the cap) — highest price, least waste.
- Partially trimmed — common in bulk foodservice, priced lower.
- Broken and fragments — 40–60% of the whole-cap price, fine for powder and sauces.
Ask for the percentage of broken pieces by weight, not just “a few”.
3. Season and harvest pressure
Yunnan morels are wild-harvested in spring, with a smaller autumn flush. Prices are lowest at the peak of the spring harvest and rise through the year as stored stock is drawn down. A quote in June and a quote in November for the same grade are not comparable — the second is trading against a thinner market.
4. Moisture content and drying method
Dried morels are hygroscopic. A lot dried to 8% moisture weighs less than one at 12%, so the price per kilogram of the second is partly water. Reputable suppliers state moisture content; if it is missing, ask.
5. Packing and Incoterms
The same product at FOB and at CIF differs by freight and insurance. Carton size matters too: 5 kg cartons cost more per kilo to pack than 10 kg, and vacuum-packed product costs more than bag-in-carton.
How to compare two quotes properly
- Fix the grade (cap length range) in writing.
- Fix the trim standard and the maximum broken percentage.
- Fix moisture content.
- Fix packing (carton size, inner pack).
- Fix the Incoterm and the port.
Only then compare the numbers. Two quotes 30% apart on paper are frequently within 5% once the descriptions match.
Five questions to ask any supplier
- What percentage of this lot falls below the stated cap length?
- What is the moisture content, and how was it measured?
- How much broken material is in the lot by weight?
- Which harvest does this lot come from?
- Can you send photographs of this specific lot, not the catalogue?
FAQ
Why is there no published market price for dried morels?
Because the product is not fungible. Two lots of “dried morels” can differ by grade, trim, moisture and origin, so the market quotes ranges against a specification rather than a single number.
Are Chinese morels cheaper than Turkish or Himalayan ones?
Usually yes at equivalent grade, largely because of harvest volume, but the gap narrows at jumbo sizes where supply is thin everywhere.
Does buying in larger quantity reduce the price?
It reduces the packing and handling component, not the product component. Expect a few percent, not a different tier.
Want a quote against your own specification? Send the grade, trim, quantity, packing and destination port, and we will price it against that description rather than a generic list. Request a quotation →