If you mean types of corn you can find on the market (food, grocery, or farming), there are 6 main commercial types of corn. All corn varieties belong to one of these categories:
1. Sweet Corn
- The one people eat fresh (yellow, white, or bicolor).
- Soft, juicy kernels.
- Varieties: standard (SU), sugary enhanced (SE), supersweet (SH2).
2. Popcorn
- Small, very hard kernels that pop when heated.
- Varieties: butterfly, mushroom, and colors like white, yellow, blue.
3. Dent Corn (Field Corn)
- Most widely grown in the U.S.
- Has a “dent” on top when dry.
- Used for tortillas, cornmeal, livestock feed, ethanol, and processed foods.
4. Flint Corn
- Very hard kernels (like popcorn but larger).
- Also called Indian corn; often multicolored.
- Used for cornmeal, polenta (especially in South America).
5. Flour Corn
- Soft starch inside, easy to grind.
- Traditionally used by Native Americans.
- Used for fine corn flour.
6. Pod Corn (rare)
- In each husk, each kernel has its own tiny husk.
- Mostly ornamental or used for research, not commercial food.
Simplified: Corn types you commonly see
For consumers:
- Sweet corn
- Popcorn
- Cornmeal/polenta (from dent or flint)
For farms/industry:
- Dent corn
- Flint corn
If you want, I can also list:
- The most common colors (yellow, white, blue, red, purple, black).
- The most common product forms (fresh, frozen, canned, meal, flour, grits, hominy, masa).
- Or the varieties you can buy in U.S. stores specifically.
