**For export buyers, the best gaharu grade depends on the buyer, not one universal number. Gulf perfumers chase resin-heavy sinking wood and distilled oud oil; Chinese collectors want intact black gubal for carving and incense. Grade, set by resin content, sinking behaviour, and aroma, decides both the end use and the price.**
Which gaharu grade do export buyers actually want?
Export desks split demand into three product forms, and each form has its own “best” grade. The first is solid wood, sold as chips, flakes, or intact blocks of resin-soaked heartwood (the local trade calls the richest material gubal and the lighter surrounding wood kemedangan). The second is distilled oud oil. The third is powder and dust (abu), the low tier used for mass-market incense.
For solid wood, buyers rank material by how much dark resin has formed. The Indonesian trade site zonakeren.com, in a July 2025 export-grade list, put “Double King” at about USD 54,688/kg and “Super King” at about USD 42,969/kg at the top, sliding down to “Medang C” near USD 47/kg at the bottom. That single list spans a thousand-fold price gap, which is exactly why grade, not weight, drives an export quote. You can see how each tier maps to a number on our pricing per grade breakdown.
The canonical band we quote for buyers, as of 2026 and indicative only, is roughly USD 500-7,000/kg for plantation gaharu chips (grade-dependent) and USD 30,000-80,000/kg for oud oil. Final quotes always confirm the grade and scope first.
| Export tier (zonakeren.com, July 2025) | Indicative USD/kg | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Double King | 54,688 | Collector-grade carving wood, ultra-high resin |
| Super King | 42,969 | Premium incense blocks, Gulf and China top end |
| A Super | 27,344 | High-resin sinking chips |
| AB Super | 5,469 | Strong mid-grade chips for bakhoor |
| Sabak Ulir | 2,735 | Working incense stock |
| Arab Super | 1,954 | Volume Middle East chips |
| CIP Arab | 547 | Entry export chips |
| Medang C | 47 | Powder and low-resin filler |
How does grade set the price?
Grade is a proxy for resin. More resin means darker colour, a heavier piece that sinks in water, and a deeper aroma when heated, and those three signals move together. Silvikultur UGM’s October 2016 figures showed the same logic in rupiah: gaharu double super at Rp 30-40 million/kg, super tanggung at Rp 15-30 million/kg, TG-B at Rp 5-15 million/kg, kemedangan at Rp 2-5 million/kg, and abu/powder at just Rp 20,000-50,000/kg.
The top of the market runs far higher. CNBC Indonesia reported in 2022 that the finest quality can reach around USD 100,000/kg; its 2025 coverage put local high-quality gaharu up to about Rp 53 million/kg and international material up to roughly Rp 133 million/kg. For a buyer, the practical takeaway is that paying for a higher grade only makes sense when the end product needs it, which brings us to markets.
Chips or oil, and which grade wins in each market?
Export buyers rarely say “sell me the best grade.” They say “sell me what my product needs.” A bakhoor blender in Riyadh and an incense-stick factory in Guangzhou want different things from the same tree.
| Market | Preferred form | What the buyer judges | Typical grade fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gulf / Middle East | Oud oil and high-resin sinking chips | Aroma depth, oil yield | A Super and up; oil for perfume |
| China | Intact black gubal, incense chips | Colour, carving integrity, scent | Super King, A Super |
| Diaspora & SE Asia | Mid-grade chips, ready bakhoor | Value, consistent burn | AB Super, Sabak tiers |
| Mass incense | Powder and abu | Price per kilo | Medang C, dust |
Middle East demand tilts toward oil. A South Kalimantan report carried by Kumparan’s banjarhits desk quoted high-quality agarwood oil at USD 20,000-50,000 per litre (roughly Rp 266-666 million), driven by perfume and bakhoor buyers. Chip buyers there are more price-banded: exporter
The demand backdrop favours patience on the high grades. Several 2024-2025 market reports project the global agarwood and oud market near USD 23.47 billion by 2033 at about 7.12% CAGR, with Asia-Pacific forecast as the fastest-growing region at roughly a 47.8% share by 2033 and China holding about 22.4% of the market. Those figures are third-party projections and, like every price here, are indicative and subject to change.
What separates the top grades from the rest?
Three physical tests decide the tier, and every serious export buyer applies them:
- Resin content. The share of the wood that is dark, oil-saturated resin rather than pale sapwood. Higher resin, higher grade.
- Sinking. Drop a piece in water. Heavily resinous wood sinks; light kemedangan floats. Sinking wood commands the biggest premiums, which is why domestic listings such as a 2024 Lamudi.co.id example priced Kalimantan sinking wood near Rp 800,150/kg while ordinary flakes sat around Rp 102,200/kg.
- Aroma on heat. A clean, deep, long-lasting scent when a chip is warmed. Sharpness, sweetness, and staying power all feed the grade.
Cultivation matters too. Most plantation gaharu comes from inoculated Aquilaria trees, where a fungal trigger is introduced so the tree lays down resin, with maturation typically running 7-15 years. Inoculated plantation stock is what most compliant exporters actually ship, and it is the material behind the canonical chip band above.
What every export buyer must confirm before ordering
Grade decides price, but paperwork decides whether the shipment is legal. Aquilaria spp. is listed on CITES Appendix II. Legal export requires proving legal origin (cultivated versus wild), a BKSDA (Balai Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam) recommendation for wild-sourced material, ASGARIN membership, and a CITES export permit that is valid for up to about six months; processing can take up to around 60 days for some destinations. Central Kalimantan, for reference, received a 4,000-ton export quota in 2023.
This site is a sourcing broker and information hub, not a permit authority. We work plantation-first and never promote illegal wild-harvest. Confirm current requirements with the CITES Management Authority (Indonesia) and with your own import country before you commit to any grade or volume.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which gaharu grade is best for Middle East oud oil buyers?
Gulf buyers distilling oud oil favour high-resin sinking wood, roughly A Super and above, because oil yield and aroma depth rise with resin. Many also buy finished oil outright; Kumparan’s banjarhits desk quoted high-quality agarwood oil at USD 20,000-50,000 per litre in South Kalimantan reporting. Grade is judged on scent, not just colour, and all figures stay indicative.
Do Chinese buyers prefer gaharu chips or carved gubal?
Both, but China’s premium demand leans toward intact black gubal for carving and collector pieces, plus high-grade chips for incense. Buyers judge colour, carving integrity, and scent, so Super King and A Super tiers fit best. Several 2024-2025 reports estimate China at about 22.4% of the global agarwood market, which keeps competition for top grades strong.
Is a higher gaharu grade always the best choice for export?
No. The best grade is the one your end product needs. A mass-incense factory buying by the tonne overpays for A Super, while a perfumer underserves clients with Medang C. Match resin, sinking, and aroma to the use. The zonakeren.com July 2025 list shows tiers running from about USD 54,688/kg down to USD 47/kg, all indicative.