Dry sift is resin-gland material separated from dried cannabis using screens rather than an ice-water wash. Further refinement can reduce unwanted plant material. The finished sift may be sold as hash or used as the starting material for rosin.
The word “dry” identifies the separation approach. It doesn't mean every dry-sift product is crumbly, that it was made without any temperature control or that it has one fixed grade.
From kief to refined sift
Lowtemp’s overview of hash formats distinguishes rougher kief from more refined sift. Sellers do not use the words consistently, so the name alone does not tell you how much non-resin material is left.
Can dry sift be full melt?
Some refined sift can earn a producer's full-melt description, but not all dry sift does. Melt behavior depends on the material rather than the absence of water in the process name. Read the full-melt definition and grading guide before treating a star rating as a precise measurement.
A micron number identifies a screen dimension or fraction. It does not establish cannabinoid content, safety or the quality of every cultivar that passes through it. A photograph cannot prove those properties either.
Sift, pressed hash and rosin
Loose sift can be consolidated into hash. Pressing it with heat to separate resin produces hash rosin, which is a different finished format. Ask which one a seller means if a menu uses “pressed” without explaining it.
For buyers, the useful details are the producer's description, intended use, batch information and storage instructions. Well-described sift doesn't need to be sold as the purest or strongest form of cannabis.