Cinnamon is expensive primarily because of how labor-intensive it is to produce. Unlike most spices that can be harvested by machine, cinnamon bark must be carefully peeled, scraped, and rolled by hand using skilled workers and primitive tools. The type of cinnamon matters enormously too: Ceylon cinnamon, grown mainly in Sri Lanka, can cost roughly 10 times more than the common Cassia variety found in most grocery stores.
Ceylon vs. Cassia: Two Very Different Products
Most of the cinnamon sold worldwide is Cassia, produced in huge volumes by Vietnam, China, and Indonesia. Vietnam alone exported over 83,000 metric tons in 2025, and its cinnamon cultivation has exploded from about 14,000 hectares in 2000 to 186,000 hectares in 2023. That massive scale keeps Cassia prices relatively low, with global wholesale prices ranging from $1.24 to $5.44 per kilogram in 2024.
Ceylon cinnamon is a different story. Sri Lanka, the primary source, exported just 19,600 metric tons in 2025, a fraction of Vietnam’s output. Ceylon cinnamon comes from thinner, more delicate bark, has a milder and more complex flavor, and contains far less coumarin (a compound that can stress the liver in large amounts). That combination of limited supply and higher perceived quality is why you’ll see it priced at a steep premium on store shelves.
A Harvesting Process That Can’t Be Rushed
The biggest cost driver is the human labor required at nearly every step. Cinnamon trees aren’t harvested until two to three years after planting, and once the stems are cut, the real work begins. Workers first strip away green, immature parts and side branches in the field. Then the brown outer bark is scraped off by hand using a simple scraping tool.
Next comes the most skilled part: a brass rod is rubbed along the scraped stem until sap oozes out and loosens the inner bark from the wood. Workers then use a small specialized knife to peel off the bark in sheets or thin strips. The width of each sheet is carefully chosen based on the desired grade. This peeling process is time-consuming, requires years of training, and still relies on what researchers at the University of Moratuwa describe as “only primitive tools.” Efforts to mechanize it have had limited success because the bark tears easily and the quality of machine-peeled cinnamon doesn’t match hand-peeled quills.
Grading Determines the Final Price
Not all cinnamon quills are created equal. Ceylon cinnamon is sorted into grades based on quill diameter, appearance, moisture content, and the amount of surface blemishes. The thinner the quill, the higher the grade and the higher the price. The grading system works like this:
- Alba (Grade 1): Pencil-thin quills of 6 mm or less in diameter, made from the youngest inner bark. These are the rarest and most expensive, with strict limits on moisture (under 12%) and blemishes (under 5% of the surface).
- Continental: 10 to 13 mm diameter, a solid middle tier.
- Mexican: 14 to 16 mm, thicker and more affordable.
- Hamburg: 17 to 19 mm, the thickest and cheapest grade of Ceylon cinnamon.
Alba-grade quills require the most skilled peeling and the most selective bark. Farmers in southern Sri Lanka hand-roll these into their signature thin shape, and because only a small portion of any harvest yields bark thin enough to qualify, the supply stays tight. That scarcity is baked directly into the price.
Drying and Rolling Add Days of Work
Once peeled, the bark sheets are shade-dried until they begin to curl naturally. Workers then stack the sheets, fill them with smaller bark pieces, and roll them into quills of standardized lengths (typically 42 or 21 inches). The finished quills are dried again on strings, racks, or nets for four to seven days until moisture drops to 14% or below. Every step is done by hand, and rushing the drying process leads to mold or cracking that downgrades the product.
This means that from tree to finished quill, you’re looking at years of growing time followed by days of careful, manual processing for each batch. Compare that to black pepper or cumin, which can be harvested and dried with far less human intervention, and the price gap makes sense.
Climate Pressures and Labor Shortages
Cinnamon production has become more vulnerable to environmental disruption. Research published in PLoS One found that shifting climate conditions have contributed to steep production declines in some growing regions, with one analysis documenting a 66% drop in production value tied to unfavorable weather, labor shortages, and market competition. Sri Lanka’s cinnamon-growing regions are particularly sensitive to changes in rainfall patterns and temperature.
Labor shortages compound the problem. Cinnamon peeling is physically demanding, low-tech work, and younger generations in Sri Lanka have been moving toward other employment. Fewer skilled peelers means slower output and higher wages for those who remain, costs that get passed along to buyers.
What You’re Actually Paying For
If you’re buying the standard Cassia cinnamon at a grocery store, you’re paying for a mass-produced commodity that wholesales for as little as $1.24 per kilogram. The retail markup is what makes even this version feel pricey. If you’re buying Ceylon cinnamon, especially a high grade like Alba, you’re paying for a product that took years to grow, was harvested and peeled entirely by hand using specialized skills, was graded and sorted through multiple quality checks, and comes from a relatively small global supply. The 10x price difference between Ceylon and Cassia reflects real differences in labor, scarcity, and quality rather than simple marketing.