AbstractGrading systems are used in many countries to aid in separating oilseeds into marketable groups according to quality. Factors are compared for two types of systems: the fixed grade system used in Canada, the USA and Sweden, and the sliding scale system used in Australia and the EEC (European Economic Community) which is being considered by the International Standards Organization. The relationship between grade, degrading factors and end‐use quality is discussed, specifically for Canadian oilseeds. Future use of NIR technology and other rapid nonvisual techniques in systems which now rely on visual assessment is considered.