We broker FAME biodiesel between producers and blenders, traders and end users. On the standard: EN 14214 is the reference, and quoting EN 15940 instead tells a buyer immediately that you have the wrong product in mind. On what is actually traded, it is the ester plus the sustainability claim behind it: the same litres with and without a defensible chain of custody are two different products at two different prices.
- 1Feedstock pretreated and dried
- 2Transesterified with methanol and catalyst
- 3Glycerine layer drawn off
- 4Washed, dried and polished
- 5Released against EN 14214
The reaction swaps the glycerol backbone for methanol, which is why every biodiesel plant also produces crude glycerine. Cold flow is inherited from the feedstock, not from the process: a saturated feed gives a high CFPP and that decides which winter grade it can go into.
The specification that governs
EN 14214 is the European standard for FAME as an automotive fuel. A few parameters do most of the work in a trading conversation, and the cold-flow properties are where most disputes actually start.
| Ester content | Minimum 96.5 % (m/m) under EN 14214. |
|---|---|
| CFPP (cold filter plugging point) | The grade marker. National annexes and seasonal requirements differ across Europe, this is the most common source of a rejected cargo. |
| Cloud point / pour point | Storage and handling behaviour alongside CFPP. |
| Oxidation stability | Induction period in hours; degrades in storage, so the date of the analysis matters as much as the number. |
| Monoglycerides, di- and triglycerides | Filter blocking and cold performance; monoglycerides are watched especially closely in saturated-feedstock esters. |
| Water content | Microbial growth and hydrolysis in storage. |
| Acid value | Corrosivity and feedstock quality carry-over. |
| Total contamination | Filterable solids. |
| Sulphur | Low limits; also relevant to blend compliance. |
| Iodine value | Unsaturation, tied to feedstock and to stability. |
| Group I and II metals, phosphorus | Catalyst and after-treatment impact. |
| Sterol glucosides | Not in the standard but a recognised cause of filter blocking; increasingly tested for. |
EN 14214 in full, with the test method for each line
This is the specification a European FAME cargo is sold against. We publish it in full because the argument after a discharge is almost never about the headline number, it is about which method was used and whether both sides agreed on it beforehand.
| Property | Limit | Test method |
|---|---|---|
| Ester content | 96.5 % (m/m) min | EN 14103 |
| Density at 15 C | 860 to 900 kg/m3 | EN ISO 3675, EN ISO 12185 |
| Kinematic viscosity at 40 C | 3.5 to 5.0 mm2/s | EN ISO 3104 |
| Flash point | 101 C min | EN ISO 2719 |
| Sulphur | 10.0 mg/kg max | EN ISO 20846, EN ISO 20884 |
| Carbon residue (10 % distillation residue) | 0.30 % (m/m) max | EN ISO 10370 |
| Cetane number | 51.0 min | EN ISO 5165 |
| Sulphated ash | 0.02 % (m/m) max | ISO 3987 |
| Water content | 500 mg/kg max | EN ISO 12937 |
| Total contamination | 24 mg/kg max | EN 12662 |
| Copper strip corrosion (3 h at 50 C) | Class 1 | EN ISO 2160 |
| Oxidation stability at 110 C | 8 hours min | EN 14112, EN 15751 |
| Acid value | 0.50 mg KOH/g max | EN 14104 |
| Iodine value | 120 g iodine/100 g max | EN 14111, EN 16300 |
| Linolenic acid methyl ester | 12.0 % (m/m) max | EN 14103 |
| Polyunsaturated (>= 4 double bonds) methyl esters | 1.00 % (m/m) max | EN 15779 |
| Methanol content | 0.20 % (m/m) max | EN 14110 |
| Monoglyceride content | 0.70 % (m/m) max | EN 14105 |
| Diglyceride content | 0.20 % (m/m) max | EN 14105 |
| Triglyceride content | 0.20 % (m/m) max | EN 14105 |
| Free glycerol | 0.02 % (m/m) max | EN 14105, EN 14106 |
| Total glycerol | 0.25 % (m/m) max | EN 14105 |
| Group I metals (Na + K) | 5.0 mg/kg max | EN 14108, EN 14109, EN 14538 |
| Group II metals (Ca + Mg) | 5.0 mg/kg max | EN 14538 |
| Phosphorus content | 4.0 mg/kg max | EN 14107, EN 16294 |
| CFPP | By national annex and season | EN 116 |
The lines that actually fail in practice are few. Oxidation stability is the first, because it degrades in storage rather than at the plant, so a cargo that passed on loading can fail on discharge without anyone doing anything wrong. Cold flow is the second, and it is a calendar problem rather than a quality problem. Monoglycerides are the third, because they drive filter blocking at low temperature even when CFPP itself passes.
If you are selling animal-fat or palm-derived FAME, look hard at cold flow and at the iodine value before you offer against a straight EN 14214 clause. The saturated profile that makes them stable makes them solid, and the two requirements pull in opposite directions.
Feedstock decides more than chemistry
Two cargoes can both meet EN 14214 and be worth materially different money, because the feedstock behind the ester determines what a blender can count against its obligation.
- UCOME: from used cooking oil. Annex IX Part B feedstock, good cold-flow properties, and the most commonly traded waste-based grade.
- TME: tallow methyl ester, from animal fat. High saturated content, so poorer cold-flow behaviour and normally blended or winterised; the ABP category behind it matters for eligibility.
- RME: rapeseed methyl ester. The European crop-based benchmark, with the best cold-flow properties of the common grades and consequently the winter workhorse.
- SME: soy methyl ester. Widely available, weaker cold-flow properties than RME.
- PME: palm methyl ester. Poor cold-flow properties, restricted in several European markets, and subject to its own sustainability scrutiny.
- Advanced FAME: from Annex IX Part A feedstocks, counting against the advanced sub-target and priced accordingly.
Note that multipliers are now member state specific under RED III. Several markets, including the Netherlands and Germany, have moved away from double counting in their national implementation, so "double counting material" no longer means the same thing everywhere. Confirm the treatment in the destination market rather than assuming the historic position.
Certification
ISCC EU is the dominant scheme, with REDcert and others also recognised. What is traded is the ester plus the sustainability characteristics travelling with it on a proof of sustainability: the feedstock, the greenhouse-gas saving, the chain of custody.
The recurring practical problems are mundane and expensive: a certificate whose scope does not cover the actual activity, a proof of sustainability with a greenhouse-gas figure that does not match what the buyer needs to claim, or a mass balance period that does not line up with the delivery. These are worth checking before the cargo moves, not at invoice stage.
What a FAME buyer will ask you
We work with producers placing output, blenders and distributors sourcing specific grades, and obligated parties who need a particular counting treatment rather than simply a particular product.
Because we never take title, we have no position to defend and no incentive to push a summer-grade cargo into a winter market. Where a cargo lands outside specification, and CFPP and oxidation stability are the usual culprits, see off-spec and distressed cargoes, which is a genuine speciality of ours rather than an afterthought.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum ester content under EN 14214?
96.5 % (m/m). It is one of the defining parameters of the standard. Always contract against the current version of EN 14214 and the applicable national annex, because seasonal and country-specific requirements sit on top of the base standard.
What is the difference between UCOME, RME and TME?
The feedstock. UCOME is made from used cooking oil, RME from rapeseed oil and TME from tallow. They behave differently in cold weather, RME has the best cold-flow properties of the three and TME the worst, because of its high saturated fatty acid content, and they are counted differently against renewable fuel obligations, which is often the larger part of the price difference.
Why does CFPP cause so many rejected cargoes?
Because the requirement is seasonal and national, and it moves. A cargo that is perfectly in-grade for one country in October can be out of grade in another the same week. Agree the exact CFPP requirement, the applicable national annex and the delivery window in writing, and treat a marginal figure on the certificate of analysis as a warning rather than a pass.
Does double counting still apply to FAME in the EU?
It depends on the member state. Under RED III, national implementations diverge, and several markets, including the Netherlands and Germany, have moved away from multipliers. So a grade described as "double counting" needs to be checked against the destination market's current scheme rather than against how the market worked historically.
What certification do you need to trade FAME in Europe?
ISCC EU is the most widely used voluntary scheme, with REDcert and others also recognised. Each delivery travels with a proof of sustainability carrying the feedstock, the greenhouse-gas saving and the chain of custody. Check that the certificate scope covers the actual activity and that the mass balance period lines up with the delivery.
Can you place off-spec FAME?
Yes, and it is something we are asked for regularly. Off-spec biodiesel usually has a home, reblending, winterisation, downgrading to an industrial or heating outlet, but the options narrow every day the cargo sits. Speed matters more than price discovery once demurrage and storage are running.
What parcel sizes do you work with?
From road tanker and ISO tank lots up to full barge and coaster parcels. The practical minimum is usually set by freight economics into the specific destination rather than by any rule of ours.
Market news
The most recent headlines touching this market, followed by wider news from across the feedstock and renewable fuel sector. 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: FAME biodiesel (worked example, all 16 sections)
- EN 14214 biodiesel standard, full parameter table
- Directive (EU) 2018/2001 (RED II), consolidated text on EUR-Lex
- Directive (EU) 2023/2413 (RED III) on EUR-Lex
- ISCC System, the certification scheme itself
Who to ask about Biodiesel & FAME
Just ask. Product to place or a specific grade to source? Tell us the feedstock, the CFPP and the certification. 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 Biodiesel & FAME
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.