Quality of Canada Western Amber Durum in 2026
This report presents preliminary data on the quality of Canada Western Amber Durum (CWAD) wheat harvested in 2026. Wheat samples were submitted to the Canadian Grain Commission’s Harvest Sample Program by producers. Quality data are compiled from the results of analytical tests performed in the Grain Research Laboratory and will be updated as more samples are received.
Data as of October 6, 2026
Data fields will remain empty until a representative number of samples have been collected to validate the information.
- Data are unlikely to represent samples harvested within 2 weeks of the date of this report.
- The number of samples reported for each grade may not correspond to the actual distribution of grades in a crop year.
Canada Western Amber Durum wheat
CWAD is the second most widely grown class of wheat in Western Canada. It is used in a wide variety of products, including long and short dried pasta, fresh pasta, sheeted pasta, couscous and baked bread. CWAD wheat has superior milling quality, producing high semolina yield with low ash content and speck count. It also has the high yellow pigment content necessary to produce end-products with a bright-yellow colour. The high protein content and strong gluten characteristics of CWAD wheat ensures superior pasta cooking quality and good performance in durum bread.
Protein data by grade and by province
| Province | Number of samples | Mean | SD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saskatchewan | 75 | 12.8 | 1.2 |
| Alberta and B.C. | 28 | 12.9 | 1.8 |
| Western Canada | 103 | 12.9 | 1.4 |
| Province | Number of samples | Mean | SD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saskatchewan | 58 | 13.4 | 1.8 |
| Alberta and B.C. | 13 | NSFootnote * | NS |
| Western Canada | 71 | 13.7 | 1.9 |
| Province | Number of samples | Mean | SD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saskatchewan | 29 | 13.7 | 1.9 |
| Alberta and B.C. | 16 | NS | NS |
| Western Canada | 45 | 13.7 | 2.0 |
| Province | Number of samples | Mean | SD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saskatchewan | 196 | 13.3 | 1.8 |
| Alberta and B.C. | 61 | 13.6 | 2.1 |
| Western Canada | 257 | 13.4 | 1.9 |
Protein data by grade and crop region
Four crop regions in western Canada were designated for Canada Western Amber Durum (CWAD) wheat based on similar environmental characteristics. The direction of grain movement, political boundaries and production (seeded area) were also considered when the regions were designated. Areas with low production were grouped with areas with high production to ensure that each region will provide a sufficient number of samples for analysis.
Text description
- Region 12: southeastern Saskatchewan
- Region 13: southwestern Saskatchewan
- Region 14: central Saskatchewan
- Region 15: Alberta
| Region | Number of samples | Mean | Standard deviation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 0 | NS | NS |
| 12 | 29 | 13.0 | 0.9 |
| 13 | 42 | 12.7 | 1.4 |
| 14 | 4 | NS | NS |
| 15 | 28 | 12.9 | 1.8 |
| Region | Number of samples | Mean | Standard deviation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 0 | NS | NS |
| 12 | 32 | 13.4 | 1.7 |
| 13 | 24 | 13.5 | 2.0 |
| 14 | 2 | NS | NS |
| 15 | 13 | NS | NS |
Grading factor data
Producer samples submitted to the Harvest Sample Program were graded using the current grading factor tolerances found in the Official Grain Grading Guide. The table below lists the grading factors that led to downgrading in this year’s wheat samples and the percentage of samples that were downgraded for each grading factor. A sample can be downgraded if it does not meet the tolerances for 1 or more grading factors.
Grading factors and the percentage of samples downgraded for CWAD wheat samples from all provinces as of October 6, 2026
| Samples | No. 1 CWAD | No. 2 CWAD | No. 3 CWAD | No. 4 CWAD | No. 5 CWAD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of samples | 103 | 71 | 45 | 14 | 22 |
| % of total | 40.4 | 27.8 | 17.6 | 5.5 | 8.6 |
| Grading factor | No. 1 CWAD | No. 2 CWAD | No. 3 CWAD | No. 4 CWAD | No. 5 CWAD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broken (BKN) | 0.0 | 5.6 | 4.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Ergot (ERG) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.2 | 0.0 | 13.6 |
| Fusarium damage (FUS DMG) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 26.7 | 0.0 | 9.1 |
| Grass green kernels (GRASS GR) | 0.0 | 1.4 | 2.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Hard vitreous kernels (HVK) | 0.0 | 26.8 | 22.2 | 92.9 | 0.0 |
| Midge damage (MDGE) | 0.0 | 11.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Mildew (MIL) | 0.0 | 2.8 | 8.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Matter other than cereal grains (MOTCG) | 0.0 | 1.4 | 2.2 | 7.1 | 0.0 |
| Severe midge damage (SEVMDGE) | 0.0 | 4.2 | 2.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Severely sprouted kernels (SEVSPTD) | 0.0 | 1.4 | 24.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Shrunken kernels (SHR) | 0.0 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 77.3 |
| Smudge (SM) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Total foreign material (TFM) | 0.0 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 7.1 | 0.0 |
| Total sprouted kernels (TSPTD) | 0.0 | 1.4 | 13.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Test weight (TWT) | 0.0 | 56.3 | 40.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Wheat of other classes (WOOC) | 0.0 | 4.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |