Packs & counts
US No. 2 vs US No. 1 potato prices
The same potato quoted in both grades on the same day, same district, variety, pack and size, from USDA shipping point reports
Data through Nov 3, 2026 · source last checked Nov 4, 2026 · page revised Nov 4, 2026
Cite
- US No. 1
- US No. 2
About this data
- Source
- USDA AMS shipping point potato FOB reports (FV130)
- Series
- US No. 1 and US No. 2 quotes for the same district, variety, pack and size on the same day
- Basis
- FOB shipping point, per hundredweight, discount between range midpoints
- Geography
- Across US growing origins
- Unit
- $/cwt
- Last observation
- Nov 3, 2026
- Update frequency
- USDA reports on business days
US No. 2 potatoes sold 48% below US No. 1 on Nov 3, 2026: Red River Valley red Size A in 50 lb sacks quoted $6.00-9.50/50 lb sack in US No. 2 against $14.00-16.00/50 lb sack in US No. 1, a $14.50/cwt gap between the range midpoints. Across 2,747 same-day pairs on record since 2021, US No. 2 has sold a median 35% below US No. 1 for the same potato, and half of all days fell between 28% and 43%.
Red River Valley red Size A in 50 lb sacks quoted $6.00-9.50/50 lb sack in US No. 2 grade on Nov 3, 2026, running 48% below the US No. 1 quote of $14.00-16.00/50 lb sack, or a $14.50/cwt gap between range midpoints. Size B in the same district quoted 43% below No. 1. Since 2021, US No. 2 has traded a median 35% below US No. 1 for the same potato, with half of all days between 28% and 43%.
| Origin, variety and size | US No. 1 | US No. 2 | No. 2 discount (midpoints, per cwt) | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red River Valley red Size A, 50 lb sack | $14.00-16.00/50 lb sack | $6.00-9.50/50 lb sack | $14.50/cwt (48%) | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Red River Valley red Size B, 50 lb sack | mostly $18.00-19.50/50 lb sack | $9.50-12.00/50 lb sack | $16.00/cwt (43%) | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Minnesota red Size A, 50 lb sack | $10.00-12.00/50 lb sack | $6.00-8.00/50 lb sack | $8.00/cwt (36%) | Sep 29, 2026 |
| Minnesota red Size B, 50 lb sack | $18.00/50 lb sack | $10.00-12.00/50 lb sack | $14.00/cwt (39%) | Sep 29, 2026 |
| Origin, variety and size | US No. 2 (per pack) | Per cwt | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Basin russet 10 oz minimum Norkotah, 50 lb sack | $11.00/50 lb sack | $22.00/cwt | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Idaho russet 10 oz minimum Burbank, 50 lb sack | $19.00/50 lb sack | $38.00/cwt | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Idaho russet 10 oz minimum Norkotah, 50 lb sack | mostly $18.00-19.00/50 lb sack | $36.00-38.00/cwt | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Idaho russet 6 oz minimum Burbank, 50 lb sack | $11.50-12.00/50 lb sack | $23.00-24.00/cwt | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Idaho russet 6 oz minimum Norkotah, 50 lb sack | mostly $12.00/50 lb sack | $24.00/cwt | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Origin, variety and size | Same-day pairs | Median discount | Middle half | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red River Valley red Size A, 50 lb sack | 576 | 39% | 28-46% | 2021-2026 |
| Red River Valley red Size B, 50 lb sack | 545 | 38% | 33-43% | 2021-2026 |
| Florida red Size A, 50 lb sack | 354 | 31% | 26-32% | 2022-2026 |
| Florida red Size B, 50 lb sack | 354 | 28% | 26-31% | 2022-2026 |
| Florida yellow Size A, 50 lb sack | 235 | 41% | 38-47% | 2022-2026 |
| Florida white Size A, 50 lb sack | 176 | 46% | 41-52% | 2022-2025 |
| Minnesota red Size A, 50 lb sack | 174 | 32% | 27-38% | 2021-2026 |
| Minnesota red Size B, 50 lb sack | 100 | 27% | 22-31% | 2022-2026 |
| Florida yellow Size B, 50 lb sack | 93 | 29% | 24-30% | 2023-2025 |
| California red Size A, 50 lb carton | 88 | 43% | 35-43% | 2021-2023 |
| California yellow Size A, 50 lb carton | 47 | 46% | 46-46% | 2021-2022 |
| California long white Size A, 50 lb carton | 5 | 46% | 46-46% | 2021 |
Previous weeks
An earlier week
US No. 2 potatoes sold 50% below US No. 1 ($15.50/cwt) on Nov 2. Red River Valley red Size A, 50 lb sacks, were quoted $6.00-9.50 in US No. 2 against $15.00-16.00 in US No. 1. This discount is wider than the median 35% on 2,745 same-day pairs since 2021, with half of all historical days between 28% and 43%.
Week of Oct 30, 2026
US No. 2 reds sold 50% below US No. 1 on Oct 30, Red River Valley red Size A trading $6.00-9.50/50 lb sack in No. 2 against $15.00-16.00/50 lb sack in No. 1, a $15.50/cwt gap between midpoints. That discount is wider than the median 35% seen across 2,744 same-day pairs since 2021.
An earlier week
US No. 2 sold 50% below US No. 1 on Oct 29, 2026, with Red River Valley red Size A quoted $6.00-9.50/50 lb sack in US No. 2 against $15.00-16.00/50 lb sack in US No. 1. The $15.50/cwt gap is wider than the median 35% discount seen across same-day pairs since 2021, when half of all days fell between 28% and 43%.
An earlier week
Red River Valley red Size A held at 50% below US No. 1 ($15.50/cwt) on Oct 28, 2026. US No. 2 quoted $6.00-9.50/50 lb sack, US No. 1 $15.00-16.00/50 lb sack. The 50% discount sits above the 5-year median of 35% and above the historical range of 28% to 43% that covers half of all same-day pairs.
How the grade discount is measured
Every row pairs two USDA shipping point quotes that differ only in grade. The district, the variety, the pack, the size and the day all match, so whatever separates the two prices is the grade. The discount is measured between the midpoints of the two published ranges and put on a per-hundredweight basis. USDA publishes ranges, not single prices, so the ranges themselves are shown beside it.
Most pairs are round potatoes. The red, yellow and white districts quote Size A and Size B lots in both grades through their seasons: the Red River Valley from fall into spring, Florida in late winter and spring, Minnesota in late summer, California's Kern District in early summer. Russets behave differently. No. 1 russets go into 50 lb cartons graded by count, and the russet No. 2 that USDA quotes is sold in 50 lb sacks by minimum weight, so the two grades rarely meet in one pack and size.
A US No. 2 potato is still a sound, saleable potato. It carries more shape and surface defect than No. 1 allows, and a lower size floor, which is why it trades at a discount rather than going to waste. For what each grade requires, see how potato grades affect FOB price; for how size designations work alongside the grades, see the potato sizing chart.
Common questions
How much cheaper are US No. 2 potatoes than US No. 1?
On Nov 3, 2026, Red River Valley red Size A in 50 lb sacks quoted 48% lower in US No. 2 than in US No. 1 at the shipping point ($6.00-9.50/50 lb sack against $14.00-16.00/50 lb sack), measured between range midpoints. Over the longer run the discount is steadier than any one week: 2,747 same-day pairs since 2021 put the median at 35%, with half of all days between 28% and 43%. No. 2 matched or beat the No. 1 price on 20 of those days.
Why are there no russets in the paired table?
None of the same-day pairs on record are russets. USDA quotes Idaho and Columbia Basin russet US No. 2 in 50 lb sacks by minimum weight, 6 oz or 10 oz, while US No. 1 russets are sold count-graded in 50 lb cartons, so the two grades almost never share a pack and size on the same day. Those No. 2 russet sacks are listed above when they are quoting, and the 50 lb sack page charts them.
What separates US No. 1 from US No. 2 potatoes?
Condition and a smaller size floor. Under USDA's potato grade standards (7 CFR 51.1541 and 51.1543), US No. 1 must be fairly well shaped, free from damage and at least 1 7/8 inches across; US No. 2 only has to be not seriously misshapen, free from serious damage and at least 1 1/2 inches. Damage means a defect that costs more than 5 percent of the potato's weight to remove, serious damage more than 10 percent. How potato grades affect FOB price walks through both grades.