Seasonality
Seasonal pattern: Not documented
No seasonal price pattern is currently documented for hard and semi-hard cheese.
Hard and Semi-Hard Cheese Price
Monthly reported customs unit values, not live or executable quotes.
Latest reported price
$5,101 USD/t
As of Jul 2026
LowPrevious 12 months
The latest value is below the typical range of $6,167–$7,135 USD/t.
Hard and Semi-Hard Cheese Price History
Hard and Semi-Hard Cheese Prices by Country
Hard and semi-hard cheese export unit values are shown in USD/t. Compare the reporting dates as well as the values; product mix and delivery terms can differ between countries.
| Country | Latest · USD/t | YoYYear on year |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | $5,132 Jul 1, 2026 | -11% |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | $9,472 Jul 1, 2026 | -9.4% |
| Brazil | $9,594 Jul 1, 2026 | -25% |
| Canada | $9,706 Jul 1, 2026 | -1.6% |
| Switzerland | $12,134 Jul 1, 2026 | -3.5% |
| Chile | $4,591 Jul 1, 2026 | -2.0% |
| Georgia | $13,819 Jul 1, 2026 | +85% |
| Lithuania | $7,013 Jul 1, 2026 | +5.6% |
| Norway | $3,277 Jul 1, 2026 | -44% |
| New Zealand | $4,754 Jul 1, 2026 | +0.3% |
| United States | $4,330 Jul 1, 2026 | -43% |
| Azerbaijan | $5,843 Jun 1, 2026 | +20% |
| Czechia | $5,149 Jun 1, 2026 | -12% |
| Germany | $4,863 Jun 1, 2026 | -17% |
| Denmark | $5,343 Jun 1, 2026 | -14% |
| Estonia | $5,680 Jun 1, 2026 | -16% |
| United Kingdom | $5,458 Jun 1, 2026 | -24% |
| Greece | $9,259 Jun 1, 2026 | +4.8% |
| Guatemala | $8,370 Jun 1, 2026 | -2.0% |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | $10,975 Jun 1, 2026 | +35% |
| Hungary | $5,430 Jun 1, 2026 | -7.1% |
| Indonesia | $5,478 Jun 1, 2026 | -21% |
| India | $4,270 Jun 1, 2026 | -9.7% |
| Ireland | $4,707 Jun 1, 2026 | -19% |
| Japan | $13,357 Jun 1, 2026 | -11% |
| Luxembourg | $9,724 Jun 1, 2026 | -7.4% |
| Latvia | $4,628 Jun 1, 2026 | -24% |
| Mexico | $7,032 Jun 1, 2026 | +24% |
| North Macedonia | $7,459 Jun 1, 2026 | +12% |
| Malaysia | $11,439 Jun 1, 2026 | -2.4% |
| Netherlands | $5,535 Jun 1, 2026 | -15% |
| Poland | $5,260 Jun 1, 2026 | -12% |
| Portugal | $6,065 Jun 1, 2026 | -13% |
| Serbia | $4,720 Jun 1, 2026 | -6.2% |
| Sweden | $6,709 Jun 1, 2026 | -15% |
| Armenia | $6,909 May 1, 2026 | +41% |
| Belgium | $6,369 May 1, 2026 | -13% |
| Egypt | $7,979 May 1, 2026 | +0.0% |
| Spain | $9,785 May 1, 2026 | +0.5% |
| Finland | $4,387 May 1, 2026 | -18% |
| Croatia | $6,643 May 1, 2026 | +0.8% |
| Italy | $14,324 May 1, 2026 | +3.6% |
| Kyrgyzstan | $3,625 May 1, 2026 | +19% |
| Philippines | $3,144 May 1, 2026 | +119% |
| Romania | $5,779 May 1, 2026 | -1.3% |
| El Salvador | $4,334 May 1, 2026 | -17% |
| Slovakia | $8,626 May 1, 2026 | +5.8% |
| Slovenia | $4,741 May 1, 2026 | -23% |
| Thailand | $7,592 May 1, 2026 | +2.4% |
| South Africa | $5,044 May 1, 2026 | +14% |
| Dominican Republic | $11,344 Apr 1, 2026 | +25% |
| Kazakhstan | $3,339 Apr 1, 2026 | +17% |
| Panama | $2,124 Apr 1, 2026 | Not reported |
| Saudi Arabia | $4,387 Apr 1, 2026 | -15% |
| Uzbekistan | $3,667 Apr 1, 2026 | Not reported |
| Argentina | $4,548 Mar 1, 2026 | -15% |
| Bulgaria | $7,309 Mar 1, 2026 | +3.0% |
| Côte d’Ivoire | $4,408 Mar 1, 2026 | Not reported |
| Ecuador | $2,036 Mar 1, 2026 | Not reported |
| Ghana | $1,006 Jan 1, 2026 | +38% |
| Cyprus | $8,738 Dec 1, 2025 | +14% |
| Fiji | $2,760 Dec 1, 2025 | Not reported |
| France | $9,469 Dec 1, 2025 | +14% |
| South Korea | $6,932 Dec 1, 2025 | -32% |
| Singapore | $7,116 Dec 1, 2025 | -13% |
| Türkiye | $6,063 Dec 1, 2025 | +1.0% |
| Colombia | $11,405 Nov 1, 2025 | Not reported |
| Morocco | $3,374 Nov 1, 2025 | Not reported |
| Ukraine | $5,938 Sep 1, 2025 | +24% |
| Iceland | $3,145 May 1, 2025 | Not reported |
| Oman | $7,979 May 1, 2025 | +58% |
| Belize | $5,896 Apr 1, 2025 | Not reported |
| Trinidad and Tobago | $6,296 Apr 1, 2025 | +23% |
| Montenegro | $10,454 Mar 1, 2025 | Not reported |
| Malta | $5,848 Jan 1, 2025 | Not reported |
| Namibia | $4,833 Jan 1, 2025 | -36% |
| Bahrain | $2,304 Dec 1, 2024 | -69% |
| China | $4,387 Dec 1, 2024 | -19% |
| Kuwait | $8,035 Dec 1, 2024 | +149% |
| State of Palestine | $8,035 Dec 1, 2024 | +4.0% |
| Yemen | $4,107 Nov 1, 2024 | Not reported |
| Israel | $7,541 Oct 1, 2024 | -2.2% |
| Mauritius | $9,049 Oct 1, 2024 | +19% |
| Paraguay | $5,001 Aug 1, 2024 | +4.6% |
| Moldova | $6,548 May 1, 2024 | +9.1% |
| Peru | $2,440 Feb 1, 2024 | Not reported |
| Kenya | $10,949 Dec 1, 2023 | Not reported |
| Nicaragua | $4,903 Dec 1, 2023 | +11% |
| Uruguay | $5,059 Dec 1, 2023 | -7.5% |
| Vietnam | $7,709 Dec 1, 2023 | +13% |
| Burkina Faso | $7,355 Nov 1, 2023 | Not reported |
| Pakistan | $2,280 Sep 1, 2023 | Not reported |
| Brunei | $6,147 Jul 1, 2023 | +20% |
| Laos | $690 Jan 1, 2023 | Not reported |
| Austria | $7,272 Dec 1, 2022 | Not reported |
| Jordan | $6,847 Dec 1, 2022 | Not reported |
| Tunisia | $2,367 Dec 1, 2022 | -60% |
| Benin | $4,787 Nov 1, 2022 | Not reported |
| Seychelles | $9,750 Nov 1, 2022 | Not reported |
| Rwanda | $956 Oct 1, 2022 | +29% |
| DR Congo | $8,314 Aug 1, 2022 | Not reported |
| Antigua and Barbuda | $1,534 Jul 1, 2022 | Not reported |
| Belarus | $3,910 Mar 1, 2022 | -9.6% |
| Senegal | $10,812 Mar 1, 2022 | Not reported |
| Russia | $6,038 Dec 1, 2021 | +18% |
| Mongolia | $13,194 Oct 1, 2020 | Not reported |
| Zambia | $6,000 Oct 1, 2020 | Not reported |
| Costa Rica | $7,813 Mar 1, 2020 | Not reported |
| United Arab Emirates | $5,301 Dec 1, 2019 | +17% |
| Guyana | $16,405 Sep 1, 2019 | Not reported |
| Mozambique | $9,656 Apr 1, 2019 | Not reported |
| Zimbabwe | $5,720 Mar 1, 2019 | Not reported |
| Uganda | $2,493 Feb 1, 2019 | Not reported |
| Sudan | $3,500 Dec 1, 2018 | Not reported |
| Malawi | $679 Nov 1, 2018 | Not reported |
| Samoa | $5,896 Aug 1, 2018 | Not reported |
| Botswana | $5,044 Apr 1, 2018 | Not reported |
| Barbados | $14,705 Dec 1, 2017 | Not reported |
| Honduras | $2,895 Dec 1, 2017 | -17% |
| Togo | $7,158 Nov 1, 2017 | Not reported |
| Angola | $8,135 Jul 1, 2017 | Not reported |
| Eswatini | $148 Nov 1, 2015 | Not reported |
| Andorra | $5,947 Sep 1, 2015 | Not reported |
| Bolivia | $10,420 Apr 1, 2015 | Not reported |
| Albania | $3,811 Aug 1, 2012 | Not reported |
| Nigeria | $5,083 Mar 1, 2011 | Not reported |
| Aruba | $8,774 Dec 1, 2010 | Not reported |
| Iran | $2,828 Mar 1, 2010 | Not reported |
What shapes hard and semi-hard cheese prices?
Use these documented market characteristics when comparing periods, countries and supplier quotes.
Demand driver
Retail consumption
Consumers purchase hard and semi-hard cheese for direct eating, snacking, and home cooking.
Demand driver
Foodservice sector
Restaurants, hotels, and catering businesses use hard and semi-hard cheese for menu items such as pizzas, salads, and cheese platters.
Demand driver
Export demand
International buyers source hard and semi-hard cheese to meet culinary traditions and specialty cheese markets abroad.
Demand driver
Aging and flavor development
The maturation process of hard and semi-hard cheese creates distinct flavor profiles that drive demand from connoisseurs and specialty retailers.
Quote basis
Why quoted prices can differ
Hard and semi-hard cheese is typically quoted fob, commonly fob, cif. Compare freight, insurance and delivery point before treating two quotes as equivalent.
Hard and Semi-Hard Cheese Price Questions
- What defines hard and semi‑hard cheese compared with other cheese types?
- Hard and semi‑hard cheeses are classified by firmness and ripening characteristics; they have a moisture‑fat‑free‑basis (MFFB) percentage between 49 % and 56 % for hard and 54 %–69 % for firm/semi‑hard varieties, and they are not mould‑ripened. This classification follows the Codex General Standard for Cheese.
- How does the cheese‑making process affect the safety of hard and semi‑hard cheeses?
- During production of hard cheeses, curd cooking at temperatures of 53 °C or higher removes water from the curd and reduces STEC and *E. coli* populations by about 2–4.5 log₁₀ CFU/g. Semi‑hard cheeses experience further reductions of ≥ 1 log₁₀ CFU/g per month during ripening, especially in the core where higher temperatures accelerate pathogen decline.
- What storage conditions are recommended for hard and semi‑hard cheese to maintain quality?
- Hard and semi‑hard cheeses should be stored at cool temperatures (typically 4–8 °C) in a stable environment with low humidity to prevent surface drying. Because they are not mould‑ripened, the date of manufacture rather than a minimum durability date is required on the label.