Fruit calibre gauges

Calibre decides almost everything that comes after harvest: which commercial class the fruit falls into, which fruit tray it goes in, how many pieces fit in the box and what price it sells for. Measuring it properly on the tree, at intake or on the packing line avoids badly filled boxes, pieces moving about inside the tray and complaints from the buyer. For that we supply two types of tool, which are not interchangeable.

The band gauge measures the actual diameter of the piece. It has an ergonomic body in tough plastic and a flexible steel band that goes around the fruit and follows its outline; the reading appears in a clear window, with no calculations. It measures from 40 to 100 mm with an accuracy of ±0.5 mm, a range that covers most stone and pome fruit. It is the tool for quality control in the warehouse and for checking batches with figures you can record.

Colour charts are a visual tool. They come in a fan format, with a scale of skin tones that helps decide the harvest point and, for cherries, with hole templates to check calibre piece by piece. They are tough enough for use in the field, the warehouse or the packhouse and allow quick sorting according to commercial standards. There are versions for pears, peaches and cherries.

Which to choose? If you need the figure in millimetres to close a lot or adjust the grading machine on the line, the band gauge. If what you want is for harvesting and sorting teams to grade the same way, with a common visual criterion for colour and size, the charts. Many packhouses use both, and it is worth complementing them with a penetrometer and a refractometer to measure firmness and sugars as well.

At Fontanet Group, from Fraga (Huesca) and with a team that has more than 30 years in the sector, we advise you on which tool suits your fruit and your way of working. Availability by variety and quantities are confirmed with our sales team.