Although coffee beans are of a fairly uniform size and proportion, they are graded first by size and then by density (the elephant bean is the exception).

Typically the size of beans is expressed on a scale of 10 to 20. The number represents the size of a round hole's diameter in terms of 1/64's of an inch. A number 10 bean would be the approximate size of a hole with a diameter of 10/64 of an inch and a number 15 bean, 15/64 of an inch. Beans are sized by being passed through a screener. Beans are also sorted by using an air jet to separate heavy and light beans (the pneumatic method).

Next, over-fermented or unhulled beans are removed. This is usually done by hand as the beans move along on a belt, but other methods include electronic color sorting.

Different countries grade their beans according to different systems. In general, however, there are six export grades, the top grade being SHB (strictly hard bean) or strictly high grown, which means that the coffee beans are produced at a minimum altitude, 4,000 feet above sea level.