Product knowledge
What Do Olive Calibre Numbers Like 260/290 Mean?
A calibre number tells you how many olives it takes to make up one kilogram, so a range like 260/290 means a representative kilo of that lot holds between 260 and 290 olives. It's a sizing system, not a quality grade — the fewer olives per kilo, the larger each individual fruit is, and the more olives per kilo, the smaller they run. Buyers use calibre to compare lots consistently across suppliers, since "large" and "small" mean different things to different packers, but a calibre number is measured the same way everywhere.
The fruits-per-kilo logic, in plain terms
Producers weigh out a one-kilogram sample of olives from a given lot and count how many fruits it takes to reach that weight. A calibre of 100/110 describes large olives — only around 100 to 110 fit in a kilo. A calibre of 380/410 describes small olives — it takes close to four times as many to reach the same weight. The range (rather than a single number) exists because natural fruit isn't perfectly uniform; a lot is sorted into the band its average size falls into, not held to one exact count. This counting method is used across the international olive trade, which is why calibre numbers translate consistently between suppliers even when their marketing language for "large" or "small" doesn't.
Higher number always means smaller fruit
It's easy to read a bigger number as "bigger olives," but the relationship runs the opposite way: a higher calibre number means more olives were needed to make a kilo, which only happens if each one is smaller. Zer Light Black Olives and Green Olives Salkini sit at different points on this scale, and checking the calibre printed on a tin or jar — rather than judging size by eye through the glass — is the reliable way to compare two lots before ordering.
Which sizes suit which kitchen uses
Large-calibre olives (a low number, fewer per kilo) work well where the olive itself is the feature — a cheese board, a mezze platter, a jar sold retail where visual size matters at the point of sale. Small- to mid-calibre olives are the practical choice for slicing, chopping into a tapenade or muhammara-style spread, or folding into a cooked dish, where individual fruit size stops mattering once it's cut down. Calibre is also a useful cost-planning tool for foodservice buyers: a case built from a smaller calibre generally yields more individual pieces per kilo, which matters when olives are portioned per plate or per guest rather than served from a shared bowl.
Related questions
Does a lower calibre number mean better quality?
No — calibre is purely a size measurement. Quality is judged separately, on curing, colour, texture and flavour, not on how many olives fit in a kilo.
Why is calibre shown as a range like 260/290 instead of one number?
Natural fruit varies in size even within one harvest lot, so packers sort olives into size bands rather than claim a single exact count. The range reflects that natural spread.
Do calibre numbers work the same way for green and black olives?
Yes — the fruits-per-kilo method applies the same way regardless of the olive's colour or curing style; it measures size, not variety or processing.
Is calibre used for both table olives and olives destined for oil pressing?
Calibre is primarily a table-olive concept, since size matters for how a whole olive is eaten and served. Olives grown for pressing into oil are judged on oil yield and ripeness rather than fruit size.