We broker animal fats and tallow across all three ABP categories into biodiesel, renewable diesel, oleochemical and, where the category permits, feed outlets. The first question is never the specification, it is the category under Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009, because that decides which outlets are legally available at all. Only once that is settled do FFA, titre, moisture and impurities decide the price.
- 1By-products from slaughter
- 2Rendering into fat and protein
- 3Separated by category
- 4Graded on FFA, titre and colour
- 5Placed with the outlet that category allows
Category is not a quality grade, it is a legal route. Category 3 competes with feed and oleochemical buyers and falls outside Annex IX-B, while Category 1 and 2 have far fewer permitted outlets.
Category first, specification second
The Animal By-Products Regulation sorts material into three categories by risk, and the category travels with the fat through the whole chain. Getting it wrong is not a commercial error, it is a regulatory one.
- Category 1: the highest-risk material, including specified risk material. It is excluded from feed and from food, but it is not banned from use as a fuel feedstock: category 1 fat is a well-established biodiesel and renewable diesel input, subject to the processing, traceability and channelling requirements in the regulation. The common belief that category 1 cannot be traded at all is simply wrong, and it costs renderers money.
- Category 2: including fallen stock and material unfit for consumption. Excluded from feed for farmed animals, available to oleochemical and energy outlets under the applicable conditions.
- Category 3: derived from animals fit for human consumption at slaughter. The broadest set of outlets, including petfood and, subject to the species rules, some feed uses. Generally the highest value.
Rendering, and what Category 3 actually means
Rendering is the process that turns an animal by-product into two tradeable streams: the fat, and the protein meal left behind. The fat is what we broker. What decides its value is not the process but the category the raw material carried into it, and that category is set by law rather than by the renderer.
The three categories are defined in Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009, the Animal By-Products Regulation, and each one has its own article. People quote the regulation number constantly and almost never the article, which is where the actual definition sits.
| Category | Defined in | What it is, in trade terms |
|---|---|---|
| Category 1 | Article 8 | The highest risk class, including TSE-suspect material and specified risk material. Disposal and outlets are the most restricted. |
| Category 2 | Article 9 | Material that is not Category 1 but is not fit for the food chain either, including animals that died other than by slaughter for human consumption. |
| Category 3 | Article 10 | The low risk class. Material from animals that passed ante-mortem inspection at a slaughterhouse, including parts that were fit for human consumption but are not intended for it for commercial reasons. |
Category 3 is not the leftovers. Article 10(a) covers carcases and parts that are fit for human consumption and simply are not going there, which is why Category 3 fat competes with food and oleochemical outlets rather than only with fuel. That competition, not the specification, is usually what sets its price.
Why a buyer asks whether it is porcine. Article 10(b)(iii) draws a line between ruminants that require TSE testing and animals that do not. Pigs and poultry sit on the side that does not, so porcine and poultry fat carry a different documentation burden from bovine material of the same category. A seller who answers 'animal fat, Category 3' when the buyer asked for species is answering a different question, and it costs time on both sides.
What we ask for. The category, the species split, the processing method and the approval number of the plant. Those four settle most of what a buyer needs before the analysis is even opened, and a renderer who cannot produce them quickly is a renderer whose material will be slow to place.
What each category actually looks like on an analysis
Category decides where the fat may legally go. The analysis decides what it is worth once it is there. Both belong in the first message, because a buyer who gets one without the other cannot price it and will simply not reply.
| Parameter | Cat 1 and Cat 2 (technical) | Cat 3 (food-chain origin) |
|---|---|---|
| FFA | Commonly up to 15 %, sometimes higher | Typically low single digits |
| Moisture | 1 % max | 0.5 % max is common |
| Impurities and volatile matter | 0.5 % max | 0.5 % max |
| Titre | 38 to 44 C depending on species mix | 38 to 44 C |
| Sulphur and phosphorus | Ask before offering to a hydrotreater | Usually lower |
| Annex IX status | Part B (b): listed | Not listed in Annex IX |
| Typical outlets | HVO, SAF, FAME, oleochemicals, energy | Petfood, feed, oleochemicals, FAME |
That Annex IX line is the one that moves money. Category 1 and category 2 animal fats are named in Annex IX Part B alongside used cooking oil. Category 3 is not in Annex IX at all. Two cargoes can look almost identical on the analysis sheet and be worth materially different amounts to a fuel producer, purely because of where the material came from and what the rendering plant is approved for.
So the approval number of the establishment matters as much as the assay. A seller who cannot produce it is not necessarily doing anything wrong, but they are not yet sellable to a fuel buyer, and that is worth finding out in week one rather than after a vessel is fixed.
What buyers screen on
Titre deserves more attention than it usually gets in a first conversation. A high-titre tallow that solidifies in an unheated tank or a cold flexitank turns a straightforward delivery into an expensive salvage operation, and the cost lands on whoever did not raise it.
| ABP category | 1, 2 or 3, with the processing method and the approval number of the establishment. |
|---|---|
| FFA (free fatty acid) | Percentage. The main price driver within a category. |
| Moisture, impurities and unsaponifiables (MIU) | Combined and separately. |
| Titre | Degrees C. Solidification behaviour; determines heated storage and handling. |
| Colour | Lovibond or FAC, depending on the outlet. |
| Iodine value | Unsaturation; drives cold-flow properties downstream. |
| Sulphur and phosphorus | Critical for hydrotreatment into HVO or SAF. |
| Peroxide value | Oxidation history and storage condition. |
| Insoluble impurities | Filterable solids and protein carry-over. |
| Species | Bovine, porcine, poultry or mixed. Decides feed eligibility and some market access. |
| Certification | ISCC EU where the fat is heading into the biofuel chain. |
Where it goes
Under EU renewable fuel rules, category 1 and 2 animal fats sit in Annex IX Part B alongside used cooking oil and share the 1.7 % transport-energy cap per member state. Category 3 is treated differently. This distinction moves real money, so it should be settled before a term contract is priced.
- FAME producers: animal-fat methyl ester, with different cold-flow behaviour from UCOME because of the saturated fatty acid profile.
- HVO and renewable diesel producers: hydrotreatment; more sensitive to sulphur, phosphorus and metals, and often paying for pretreated material.
- Oleochemical producers: soaps, surfactants, lubricants, fatty acids and glycerine.
- Feed and petfood: category 3 only, subject to species and processing rules.
- Meat and bone meal (MBM): placed alongside the fat where a renderer wants both streams handled together.
What an animal fat buyer checks before they bid
We act for renderers with continuous production to place and for producers who need a specific category, a specific titre or a consistent sulphur figure, and those requirements narrow the market far more than most sellers expect.
Rendering does not stop, which makes reliability of offtake worth more than a marginal price improvement on a single load. Most of what we do here is term rather than spot: matching continuous production to a buyer who can take it every week, with the category, analysis and heated-logistics reality agreed once rather than renegotiated every parcel.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between category 1, 2 and 3 animal fat?
The category is set by Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009 and reflects risk, not quality. Category 1 is the highest-risk material including specified risk material; category 2 includes fallen stock and material unfit for consumption; category 3 comes from animals fit for human consumption at slaughter. The category travels with the fat through the whole chain and decides where it may legally go. Getting it wrong is a regulatory error, not a commercial one.
Why is category 3 tallow often worth less into fuel than category 1?
Because category 1 and 2 animal fats are named in Annex IX Part B alongside used cooking oil, and category 3 is not in Annex IX at all. Two cargoes can look nearly identical on the analysis and be worth materially different amounts to a fuel producer, purely because of origin. Category 3 has other outlets, including petfood and oleochemicals, which is why it is not simply the cheaper product.
What is titre and why does every buyer ask for it?
Titre is the solidification temperature of the fatty acids, typically 38 to 44 C depending on species mix. It decides whether you need heated storage and heated lines. A high-titre tallow that solidifies in an unheated tank or a cold flexitank turns a routine delivery into an expensive salvage operation, and the cost lands on whoever did not raise it.
Is category 1 material banned from use?
No, and this is a common misunderstanding. Category 1 is excluded from feed and from food, but it is not banned from energy or oleochemical use. It must be processed by an approved rendering plant and the establishment approval number travels with it. A seller who cannot produce that number is not doing anything wrong, but they are not yet sellable to a fuel buyer.
Can category 1 animal fat be used for biodiesel?
Yes. Category 1 material is excluded from feed and food, but it is an established feedstock for biodiesel and renewable diesel, subject to the processing, traceability and channelling requirements of Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009. The widespread belief that category 1 fat cannot be traded at all is incorrect and costs renderers real money.
What is titre and why does it matter?
Titre is the solidification temperature of the fatty acids, in degrees Celsius. It determines whether the fat can be handled in an unheated tank, a standard flexitank or a road tanker without heating, and in which season. A high-titre tallow that sets in transit turns a routine delivery into an expensive salvage job, so it belongs in the first conversation rather than the shipping instructions.
Do animal fats count towards the Annex IX Part B cap?
Category 1 and 2 animal fats sit in Annex IX Part B alongside used cooking oil and share the 1.7 % transport-energy cap per member state, with the possibility of a member state requesting a higher limit. Category 3 is treated differently under the framework. The distinction has a direct effect on value, so settle it before pricing a term contract.
Do you broker meat and bone meal as well?
Yes, and usually alongside the fat. A renderer generally wants both streams placed with as little friction as possible, and handling them together is more efficient than running two separate processes.
What certification is needed for animal fat into biofuel?
ISCC EU is the usual route for material entering the EU biofuel chain, alongside the ABP documentation, category, processing method and the approval number of the establishment. Both are checked. A valid ISCC certificate does not substitute for correct ABP paperwork, and vice versa.
Market news
Recent headlines from across the feedstock and renewable fuel sector. Nothing specific to this market has come through the wires lately, so this is the wider view. The links go to the publisher; we do not host or edit their reporting, and a headline here is not our endorsement of it. Scroll for more.
- Kimchi waste could become viable feedstock for bioplastics
- Braskem biobased polymer helps Deterra drug disposal pouch earn packaging awards
- Eni and PETRONAS to explore high-performance bio-gasoline
- Linglong signs $2 billion Egypt investment MoU
- BTMA to represent European national associations at Tyres Europe board meetings
- Osaka Gas claims STS LNG bunkering first in Osaka Bay
- ISWG-GHG 22: Non-profits react
- USTC brings Copenhagen-based offices together in new hub
- ORLEN instigates new Baltic regional energy initiative
- TotalEnergies Lubmarine launches lubricant for 4-stroke medium speed marine engines
- IMO carbon price heads for December showdown
- LyondellBasell: Pyrolysis Reactors Installed for MoReTec Plant in Wesseling
- Sustainable aviation fuel pioneer completes successful trials
- Louis Dreyfus Company to generate biogas from citrus waste
- Nature by Design: A decade of IUCN, Monaco collaboration driving circular solutions for biodiversity
- European Digital Sustainability Skills Conference
- UCL reacts to IMO ISWG-GHG: ‘Steady progress on the Net Zero Framework’ made but ‘high uncertainty’ remains
- ISWG-GHG 22: ‘Genuine willingness’ for further NZF progress, observes Chair
18 headlines, updated automatically. Last refreshed .
Sources and further reading
Primary sources for the rules and figures on this page, so you can check them yourself. Legislation is amended: always read the consolidated text on the date that matters to you.
- Document checklist: exactly which papers a European buyer asks for, per product
- SPECIMEN safety data sheet: Animal fat and tallow (worked example, all 16 sections)
- Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009, animal by-products
- Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009 on animal by-products
- Directive (EU) 2018/2001 (RED II), consolidated text on EUR-Lex
- ISCC System, the certification scheme itself
Who to ask about Animal fats & tallow
Just ask. Rendered fat to place, or looking for category-specific supply? Tell us the category, FFA and titre. You get Bart van den Brug on the other end, same working day, in English or Dutch, and across the team also in French, Portuguese, Polish, Czech and Russian.
On how we work: on the feedstocks and fuels on this site we are a broker. We never take title, we do not trade our own book, and we are paid a commission on business that concludes. Additives are the one exception: those we also buy and sell for our own account, and we say in which capacity we are acting before you commit to anything. Either way you will hear it from us when the answer is no, or when your parcel is not ready for the conversation you want to have. A market read or a second opinion on a specification costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
Happy to look at whatever you have, even if it is half an analysis and a question.
+31 6 115 83 448
bart@sustainablecommodities.eu
Sustainable Commodities 3 B.V., Lemmer, the Netherlands
Ask about Animal fats & tallow
Specification, volume, location and certification are enough to start.
Or e-mail us directly: bart@sustainablecommodities.eu
Last reviewed 08 September 2026. Regulatory references are given for orientation and are not legal advice: verify against the current Official Journal text before contracting.