WHAT IS IT?
Rapeseed oil is a vegetable oil extracted from the seeds of the rapeseed plant (Brassica napus). When bred to be low in erucic acid and glucosinolates, it is called canola oil (Canadian Oil, Low Acid). It is the primary edible oil crop of Europe and Canada.
TYPES
Conventional Rapeseed Oil: Standard edible and biodiesel grade. Low erucic acid (<2%).
HEAR (High Erucic Acid Rapeseed): Industrial grade with 45%+ erucic acid. Used for lubricants, slip agents in plastics, cosmetics — NOT for food.
Double Zero (00): Low erucic acid AND low glucosinolate — standard food/feed grade.
KEY USES
Cooking oil (second most consumed in Europe after olive)
Food manufacturing: margarine, salad dressings, mayonnaise
Biodiesel (FAME): RME (Rapeseed Methyl Ester) — EU's primary biodiesel feedstock. B7 diesel in Europe contains rapeseed-derived RME.
HVO feedstock: Lower sustainability credit than UCO under RED II but still qualifies.
Animal feed: Rapeseed meal (protein-rich by-product after oil extraction)
Industrial lubricants (HEAR grade)
TRADE CORRIDORS
Major producers: EU (Germany, France, Poland — largest collective), Canada (world's largest single country exporter), Australia, Ukraine
Major buyers: EU crush industry, China, India, Japan
Tetra relevance: Canada → Asia and EU → global biofuel supply chains.
PRICING BASIS
Benchmark: MATIF Rapeseed Futures (Euronext Paris, in EUR/MT). Also CME Canola Futures (Winnipeg, CAD/MT).
Correlates with palm oil, soybean oil, and crude oil (biodiesel demand link).
SPECIFICATIONS (Crude Rapeseed Oil)
FFA (Free Fatty Acid): max 2%
Moisture and impurities: max 0.2%
Erucic acid: max 2% (standard grade)
Phosphorus: max 200 ppm