Manuka Honey UMF Guide: How to Choose the Right Grade

The short answer

UMF™ is New Zealand's certified Manuka grade. For tea, toast and a daily spoonful, UMF 5+ to 10+ is plenty. Go for UMF 13+ to 18+ for more MGO in every spoon, and UMF 20+ for our strongest jars.

Choosing a jar of Manuka honey gets much easier once you know what the UMF number on the label actually promises. This Manuka honey UMF guide walks you through what UMF certifies, how to read a UMF label, how the grades line up with MGO and our three strength tiers, and which grade suits the way you'll use it and what you'd like to spend. As the UMF Honey Association's 2026 buying guide puts it, the best grade depends on what you want to use it for.

Every jar we sell is New Zealand Manuka honey from Egmont Honey, Manuka Health and Comvita, so you can compare UMF grades side by side.

Got a number in mind? Check what it means in seconds.

What UMF Certifies

UMF stands for Unique Mānuka Factor. It's a quality mark and grading system run by the UMF Honey Association (UMFHA), which certifies honey for over 150 licence holders in New Zealand. Only licensed producers can use the mark, and only on honey that has passed the association's tests.

Those tests are UMFHA's four factor quality test, which checks four natural markers in every batch:

• MGO (methylglyoxal) for potency. This is the strength the UMF number is built on.
• Leptosperin for authenticity. UMFHA describes it as a compound found only in Manuka flower nectar, so it confirms the honey is genuine Manuka.
• DHA (dihydroxyacetone) for shelf life. DHA slowly turns into MGO as the honey matures. A 2009 lab study in Carbohydrate Research found freshly made Manuka honey was high in DHA and low in MGO, and that in storage the DHA fell as the MGO rose.
• HMF (hydroxymethylfurfural) for freshness. A check that the honey hasn't been overheated or stored for too long. Every grade must stay under 40 mg/kg.

Each grade has its own minimum levels, so a UMF 20+ jar has passed tougher thresholds than a UMF 5+ jar. The association's laboratory network tests the honey before it leaves New Zealand, and it also audits certified honey in overseas markets to check it keeps its quality over time.

UMF sits on top of New Zealand's own government test. MPI's science definition of Manuka honey identifies it by five markers: four natural chemicals and DNA from Manuka pollen. Under MPI's 2024 export rules for bee products, every batch labelled as Manuka for export is tested at a recognised laboratory.

Put together, a UMF grade tells you two things: how strong the honey is, and that it is genuine, fresh New Zealand Manuka, packed and sealed in New Zealand.

How to Read a UMF Label

Pick up any UMF jar and you'll find the same few details. Here's what each one tells you.

• The UMF™ quality mark. It confirms the honey has been independently tested and certified by a licensed producer, and it can only appear on UMFHA members' products.
• The grade, such as UMF 10+ or UMF 20+. The higher the number, the higher the level of MGO and the other natural compounds UMF measures. Besides the headline grades (5+, 10+, 15+, 20+ and 25+), you'll see the steps in between, such as UMF 13+ or UMF 16+.
• An MGO number alongside it. Many UMF jars also print their MGO level, which makes it easy to compare them with MGO-graded jars. Our Egmont Honey MGO 575+ (UMF 16+) is one example.
• A 4-digit licence number. It's usually on the side or back of the jar, and it identifies the licence holder.
• A batch number. It links your jar to the test results for that batch.
• Packed in New Zealand. UMF honey is produced, packed and sealed in New Zealand.
• "Manuka honey" or "multifloral Manuka honey". Under MPI's export rules, a plain "Manuka" label is only for honey that meets the monofloral definition. Multifloral Manuka honey, a mix of Manuka and other nectars, has to be labelled as multifloral.

UMF Grades, MGO and Our Strength Tiers

Every UMF grade includes a minimum MGO level. These are the MGO levels the UMF Honey Association gives for the headline grades, and the tier each one falls into in our store.

Our tiers are set by MGO: Everyday is under MGO 400 (up to about UMF 12+), Premium is MGO 400 to 799 (about UMF 13+ to 19+) and Superior is MGO 800 and above (about UMF 20+). To see where any grade in between sits, use our converter.

One thing worth knowing: UMFHA says MGO doesn't convert to UMF as a certification, because a UMF grade also needs leptosperin, DHA and HMF to pass. The converter shows you which UMF grade an MGO level lines up with, so you can compare strength across jars. For the full table from UMF 5+ to UMF 30+, see our guide to the differences between MGO and UMF.

Prefer to browse by strength? Start with a tier:

Manuka Honey UMF Guide: Which Grade for Which Use

There's no single best UMF grade. It comes down to how you'll use your jar and how much MGO you'd like in each spoonful. Here's how people tend to choose.

Tea, toast and cooking: UMF 5+ to 10+

Stirred into a warm drink, drizzled over porridge or yoghurt, or whisked into a dressing or glaze, an Everyday grade gives you the rich Manuka flavour at the friendliest price. The UMF Honey Association calls UMF 5+ to 10+ ideal for everyday enjoyment. Our guide on how to use Manuka honey has plenty of ideas.

A daily spoonful: UMF 10+, or a step up

Many people enjoy a teaspoon of Manuka honey a day, and UMF 10+ is plenty for that. If you'd like more MGO in every spoon, UMF 13+ to 16+ is the natural next step, and it's still good value for money (more on that below).

The most MGO per spoon: UMF 20+ and above

Our Superior grades are for those who want the strongest honey we stock. These batches are rare, they cost more and they taste more intense, with a bolder finish. For UMF 23+ and UMF 25+, see our guide to the highest MGO Manuka honey.

The family jar: start low

Lower grades taste milder, which suits children over one who are new to Manuka, and they only need a small amount, so an Everyday grade is the best value. Honey of any kind, including Manuka, should never be given to babies under 12 months, in line with NHS advice on honey for babies. Our guide to Manuka honey for kids covers amounts by age.

A gift: Premium or Superior

A Premium or Superior jar makes a thoughtful present, especially for someone who already loves Manuka.

Everyday picks at UMF 5+ to 10+

One UMF 10+ jar from each of our three brands, Egmont Honey MGO 265+ (UMF 10+), Comvita MGO 263+ (UMF 10+) and Manuka Health MGO 263+ (UMF 10+), plus our mildest UMF grade, Egmont Honey MGO 85+ (UMF 5+).

Stepping up from UMF 13+ to UMF 20+

Here's how the grades climb across Premium and into Superior: Manuka Health MGO 400+ (UMF 13+), Egmont Honey MGO 575+ (UMF 16+), Comvita MGO 700+ (UMF 18+) and Egmont Honey MGO 830+ (UMF 20+).

Looking for our favourites across every strength? See the 10 best Manuka honey jars in 2026, or let our Find your Mānuka quiz suggest a jar in a few taps.

Value per Jar: Getting the Most From Your Budget

The simplest way to get good value is to pay for the strength you'll actually use. A few things we've noticed across our own range:

• Price climbs a little faster than MGO. From UMF 10+ to UMF 20+, MGO rises about three times (from 263+ to 829+), while the price per 100g rises about three to four times. So UMF 10+ to UMF 16+ jars tend to give you the most MGO for your money, and UMF 20+ and above cost more for each milligram of MGO, because those batches are rarer.
• The cheapest jar isn't always the best value. UMF 5+ is our lowest priced grade, but it also carries the least MGO.
• Compare like with like. Line up jars of the same UMF grade and compare the price per 100g. The same grade can be priced differently from one brand to another.
• Bigger jars cost less per gram. If you use Manuka often, a 500g or 1kg jar usually works out cheaper than a 250g jar of the same grade. Manuka Health MGO 263+ (UMF 10+), Manuka Health MGO 400+ (UMF 13+) and Egmont Honey MGO 265+ (UMF 10+) all come in a 1kg size.

For what drives the price in the first place, read our Manuka honey price guide.

How to Spot Genuine UMF Manuka Honey

• Look for the mark and the licence number. A genuine UMF jar shows the UMF™ quality mark, a UMF grade and a 4-digit licence number.
• Check it online. Enter the licence and batch numbers into UMFHA's quality certificate search to trace your jar back to its test results.
• Check where it was packed. UMF honey is packed and sealed in New Zealand.
• Don't mistake MGO for UMF. A jar that shows only an MGO number isn't UMF certified. An MGO-graded jar from a reputable New Zealand brand can still be genuine Manuka; it simply hasn't been graded under UMF.

For the full label checklist, including look-alike terms to watch out for, see our guide to spotting fake Manuka honey.