🥩✨ Crude Beef Tallow & Refined Beef Tallow: What’s the Difference?

As global demand for fats and oils increases across food production, cosmetics, soap-making, animal feed, and industrial applications, beef tallow has become one of the most versatile and stable raw materials on the market.

But not all tallow is the same.

Rich Moon supplies two main grades — Crude Beef Tallow and Refined Beef Tallow — each designed for specific uses and quality requirements.

This article explains the key differences between these two grades and helps buyers choose the right one for their manufacturing needs.

🔍 1. Introduction – Why Choosing the Right Beef Tallow Grade Matters

Different industries have different requirements:

🍜 Food manufacturers need clean, stable, low-FFA refined tallow
🧼 Soap & detergent factories need consistent melting & saponification values
💄 Cosmetic producers need odor-controlled, high-purity fat
🚛 Biodiesel manufacturers focus on cost and fatty acid content
🐓 Feed producers want nutrition & affordability

Understanding each tallow grade ensures better performance, lower cost, and compliance with international standards.

Rich Moon supplies two grades:

🥩 Crude Beef Tallow
✨ Refined Beef Tallow

🥩 2. What Is Crude Beef Tallow?

Crude Beef Tallow is the raw rendered fat obtained directly after separating beef fat from water, protein, and connective tissue. It maintains much of its natural composition.

⭐ Key Characteristics

🎨 Color: Pale to light yellow
📉 Moisture & Impurities: 0.5% max
🧪 Triglycerides: 90–100%
⚗️ Peroxide Value: 5.0 meq O₂/kg max
🧮 Iodine Value: 35–55
🧪 Saponification Value: 195–210 mg KOH/g
📊 Acid Value: 8 mg KOH/g max
💰 Cost: More economical than refined tallow
📦 Shelf Life: 24 months

🎯 Applications

🐖 Animal feed formulations
🚛 Biodiesel feedstock
🏭 Industrial oil & fat processing
🧼 Basic soap-making

✨ 3. What Is Refined Beef Tallow?

Refined Beef Tallow is crude tallow that has undergone filtration, bleaching, deodorization, and stabilization to produce a clean, light-colored, odor-controlled fat suitable for food and cosmetic applications.

⭐ Key Characteristics

🎨 Color (Lovibond): 10.0 yellow / 1.0 red
📉 Moisture: 0.05% max
📉 Free Fatty Acid: 0.05% oleic max
🧪 Peroxide Value: 1.0 mEq/kg max
🧪 AOM Stability: 100 hours min
🌡️ Melting Point: 106–110°F
🔥 Smoke Point: 450°F
💰 Cost: Higher due to advanced refining
📦 Shelf Life: 24 months

🎯 Applications

🍜 Instant noodles
🍪 Bakery fats & shortening
🧼 Premium soap & detergent
💄 Cosmetics & skincare
🕯️ High-grade candles
🍽️ Food processing

📊 4. Comparison Table – Crude vs Refined Beef Tallow

🔎 5. Which Type Should You Choose?

🥩 Choose Crude Beef Tallow if you need:

• Cost-effective raw fat

• Biodiesel production

• Animal feed fat source

• Industrial-grade oil

✨ Choose Refined Beef Tallow if you need:

• Food manufacturing

• High-quality soap production

• Cosmetic-grade ingredients

• Clean smell, stable color, high smoke point

❓ 6. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1️⃣ Why is refined beef tallow lighter in color?

Because it undergoes bleaching and filtering to remove pigments and impurities.

2️⃣ Can crude tallow be used in food?

No — food-grade applications require refined tallow with very low FFA & moisture.

3️⃣ Which grade is better for soap making?

Refined tallow because of its purity, stable color, and clean odor.

4️⃣ Is crude tallow suitable for biodiesel?

Yes — crude tallow is one of the best and most economical biodiesel feedstocks.

🏁 7. Conclusion – Choose the Right Grade for Your Application

Each grade has its own value:

🥩 Crude Beef Tallow: Best for biodiesel, feed and industrial uses — affordable and high in fatty acid content.

✨ Refined Beef Tallow: Best for food processing, cosmetics, soap and high-quality applications requiring purity and stability.

Selecting the correct type ensures better performance, cost savings and compliance with international quality standards.

About Rich Moon

Rich Moon is a trusted Vietnamese exporter specializing in Crude Beef Tallow and Refined Beef Tallow with stable quality, consistent supply capacity, and sustainable sourcing.
Our products are widely used in food manufacturing, soap & detergent production, cosmetics, candles, pet food, animal feed and biodiesel industries across Asia, Africa, and Europe.

We offer flexible export-standard packaging options, including Drums, IBC Tanks, and Flexibags, and provide full export documentation, CO/COA, and global shipping support to ensure smooth international transactions.

Contact us for quotation:
Nora – Sales Executive
📧 Email: sale5@richmoon.com.vn
📱 Mobile/WhatsApp/WeChat: +84 964 279 454
🌐 Website: www.richmoon.com.vn
📍 Address: 270/4i Le Dinh Can Street, Tan Tao Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.