Flour Types Across Countries
Type 550, T55, Tipo 00 or plain flour – the same wheat flour goes by a different name in every country. This table lines up the common labels so you pick the right bag abroad, or decode a recipe written somewhere else.
| Country | Type 405 | Type 550 | Type 812 | Type 1050 | Vollkornmehl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | Type 405 | Type 550 | Type 812 | Type 1050 | Vollkornmehl |
| Austria | W480 (glatt) | W700 | — | W1600 | Vollkornmehl |
| Switzerland | Weissmehl | Weissmehl (Zopfmehl) | Halbweissmehl | Ruchmehl | Vollkornmehl |
| France | T45 | T55 | T80 | T110 | T150 (farine complète) |
| Italy | 00 | 0 | 1 | 2 | farina integrale |
| Spain | harina floja / de repostería | harina panificable / de media fuerza | — | harina integral clara | harina integral |
| Portugal | tipo 45 | tipo 55 | tipo 80 | tipo 110 | tipo 150 (farinha integral) |
| United Kingdom | cake flour / soft plain flour | plain flour / strong white bread flour | — | light brown / wholemeal-white blend | wholemeal flour |
| Poland | mąka typ 450 (tortowa) | mąka typ 550 (luksusowa) | mąka typ 750 (chlebowa) | mąka typ 1400 (sitkowa) | mąka razowa / graham |
| Russia | мука высшего сорта | мука высшего сорта (хлебопекарная) | — | мука 1-го сорта | мука цельнозерновая (обойная) |
| United States | cake flour | all-purpose flour | — | — | whole wheat flour |
A dash means this market has no grade of its own for that flour – bakers there blend it from the two neighbouring types. Ireland uses the same names as the UK.
Why the numbers cannot be converted
The German number states the mineral content in milligrams per 100 grams of dry matter, so Type 550 holds roughly 550 mg. France measures the same thing on a different scale. Italy counts the other way round entirely: there 00 is the finest flour, not the darkest. Britain and the United States use no number at all, only names. That is why there is no conversion formula – only a mapping.
When a recipe just says “flour”
German home recipes often simply say “250 g flour”, meaning ordinary household flour: Type 405 to 550. For anything baked except bread that is the safe reading – plain flour in the UK, all-purpose in the US, T55 in France. Where a recipe does name a grade, follow it: in bread the difference between 550 and 1050 is half the crumb.
Frequently asked questions
- What is German Type 550 flour in the UK?
- Plain flour, or strong white bread flour for yeast doughs. Type 550 is the German everyday household flour, and British plain flour is its closest counterpart in both protein content and milling.
- What is all-purpose flour in Europe?
- Type 550 in Germany, T55 in France, 0 in Italy. All-purpose sits between the German Type 405 and 550, so either works for cakes and biscuits; for bread choose the 550 end.
- What is Tipo 00 flour?
- The most finely milled Italian wheat flour, comparable to German Type 405 or British cake flour. Italian numbering runs the opposite way to German: 00 is the whitest, 2 the darkest.
- Which flour should I use for pizza?
- Tipo 00 for a long, slow rise, otherwise a strong bread flour. For pizza the protein content matters more than the grade – Italian pizza flour sits at 12 to 13 per cent.
- Why can I not find Type 812 flour?
- Because that grade does not exist outside a few markets. Britain, the United States, Spain and Austria carry nothing between white and light brown – bakers there mix it themselves, roughly two thirds white to one third wholemeal.