This Palestinian standard specifies the requirements that must be met in in-shell sweet almonds of cultivated varieties of Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D.A. Webb, from which the fleshy hull (the outer layer “epicarp” and the middle layer “mesocarp”) has been removed, to be supplied fresh to the consumer for direct consumption or for use in foods when mixed with other products intended for direct consumption without any additional processing, and after packaging, with almonds intended for industrial processing being excluded.

In-shell almonds are classified, according to shell hardness, into two categories:
• Soft / Semi-soft: in-shell almonds that can be easily cracked by hand or with a nutcracker.
• Hard: in-shell almonds that can only be cracked with a hammer or similar tools.