KFactor 12+ or KFactor 16+? Choosing the Right Wedderspoon Manuka Honey

We stock two Wedderspoon KFactor grades, 12+ and 16+. Here's the genuine difference between them, so you can pick the right jar rather than just the pricier one.

What the numbers actually mean

Both are genuinely good honey, the KFactor number tells you how much of the honey's pollen came from Manuka flowers. KFactor 12+ guarantees at least 65%, multifloral, meaning the bees also visited other plants nearby. KFactor 16+ guarantees at least 75%, monofloral, from bees foraging almost exclusively on Manuka. We've covered the full detail of how KFactor and New Zealand's Manuka5 testing work together in what is KFactor, and how Wedderspoon tests every jar, this one's just about choosing between the two grades themselves.

A quick honest note on what the number doesn't tell you

A higher KFactor means more Manuka pollen, not automatically a stronger antibacterial effect, that's a separate measure (MGO), based on a different compound entirely. So think of KFactor 16+ as more purely Manuka, rather than "stronger" in a medical sense. Both are genuinely good, purely sourced honey either way.

KFactor 12+: a great everyday jar

This is the one we'd point most people to for daily use. It's a genuinely lovely, deep-flavoured honey, raw and unpasteurised, at a more approachable price than the monofloral grade, a sensible way to enjoy real Manuka honey without committing to the premium end straight away.

KFactor 16+: for when you want the purest jar

If you want the most purely Manuka-sourced honey we stock, monofloral KFactor 16+ is it. It has a more concentrated, distinctive flavour that some people prefer, and it's the grade we reach for ourselves when giving Manuka honey as a gift.

Prefer to compare by MGO instead?

KFactor isn't the only grading we stock. We also carry Wedderspoon honey rated by MGO content, which some customers find a more familiar, easier number to compare against other brands. Both KFactor and MGO jars are held to the same underlying standard, traceable, glyphosate-free, antibiotic-free, raw and unpasteurised, sourced and packed in New Zealand, they're simply verified and labelled differently.

This article is general information, not medical advice.