**Two things set a gaharu chip’s grade and price: how much fragrant resin has saturated the wood, and whether the piece sinks in water. Dense, resin-soaked sinking chips (gubal) sit at the top of the scale; pale, low-resin kemedangan sits far below. As of 2026, plantation chips run an indicative USD 500-7,000 per kg, grade-dependent.**
Gaharu (agarwood) is not uniform timber. It is Aquilaria wood that has been colonised by resin after wounding or inoculation, and the amount of that dark oleoresin is the single biggest lever on value. A buyer paying by weight is really paying for resin density. That is why two chips cut from the same tree can differ in price by a factor of ten or more.
This piece explains how resin content and sinking behaviour translate into grade tiers, and what the numbers look like across published Indonesian sources. Prices below are indicative and date-stamped; a final quote always confirms grade, moisture, and scope.
What actually decides a gaharu chip’s grade?
Grading starts with resin. In an Aquilaria tree, the fragrant compound (the local term is gubal for the resin-rich core, versus kemedangan for lighter medang-grade wood and abu/bubuk for dust and powder). Trees typically need 7 to 15 years before the resin-bearing core is worth harvesting, and inoculated plantation stock is graded the same way wild material is.
Graders read three signals in combination:
- Resin saturation — how deeply the dark oleoresin has penetrated. Fuller penetration means darker colour, heavier weight, and stronger aroma.
- Sinking behaviour — whether a chip sinks, floats, or hangs mid-water when dropped in a glass. Sinking is the field shorthand for high resin content.
- Aroma profile — the depth and length of the scent when the chip is gently heated, which separates near-identical looking grades.
Because those signals move together, buyers comparing graded gaharu chips should always ask for the resin classification and a sink-test result, not just a photo. A dark chip can still be light and low-resin.
How does resin content translate into price?
The clearest local reference points come from Silvikultur UGM’s grade breakdown published in October 2016, which maps named grades to rupiah-per-kilogram bands. Higher resin content pushes a chip up the ladder:
| Grade (local) | Resin level | Indicative price/kg (UGM, Oct 2016) |
|---|---|---|
| Gaharu double super | Very high | Rp 30-40 million |
| Super tanggung | High | Rp 15-30 million |
| TG-B | Medium-high | Rp 5-15 million |
| Kemedangan | Medium-low | Rp 2-5 million |
| Gaharu teri | Low | Rp 1-2 million |
| Abu / bubuk (dust) | Residual | Rp 20,000-50,000 |
The spread tells the story: the top plantation grade is roughly 20 times the price of low-grade teri, and hundreds of times the price of dust. Nothing about the wood changes except how much resin it carries.
Why does the sink-or-float test matter so much?
Because resin is denser than wood fibre, the more a chip is saturated, the more likely it is to sink. Traders use a simple glass of water as a first-pass grade check before any lab work.
Domestic e-commerce examples from Lamudi.co.id in 2024 show how sharply sinking material separates from flakes. In that retail data, Borneo flakes ran about Rp 102,200 per kg while genuine Kalimantan sinking wood was listed near Rp 800,150 per kg — almost eight times higher for the same species, driven by resin density. Higher up the same 2024 list, grade AB reached about Rp 7.5 million per kg and an Ambon grade-2 listing about Rp 15.2 million per kg.
Those are domestic retail figures, not bulk export quotes, but they illustrate the principle cleanly: sinking behaviour is a price multiplier, not a cosmetic detail.
What do resin grades cost across different sources?
A resin-based table from tokolantaikayu.net (May 2025) grades by resin content rather than named cuts, and it stretches the ceiling far higher for connoisseur material:
| Resin grade | Indicative price/kg (tokolantaikayu, May 2025) |
|---|---|
| Super Kynam / Kyara (whole gubal) | Rp 1-1.5 billion |
| Grade A | Rp 50-100 million |
| Grade B | Rp 10-50 million |
| Grade C | Rp 500,000-10 million |
| Abu (residue) | Rp 200,000-2 million |
Export-grade lists price the same logic in dollars. Zonakeren.com reported in July 2025 that top cuts such as Double King reached about USD 54,688 per kg and Super King about USD 42,969 per kg, while lower resin grades like Medang C sat near USD 47 per kg. The same source noted general gaharu buyers pay roughly Rp 20-30 million per kg, super grades Rp 40-60 million, and certain rare types hundreds of millions per kilogram. CNBC Indonesia in 2022 cited top-quality material up to about USD 100,000 per kg.
How do getah (resin extract) and oil prices compare?
Once resin is extracted rather than left in the chip, the pricing shifts again. Reported getah (resin) values run from about Rp 2-5 million per kg for low-grade yellow resin to Rp 15-20 million per kg for good black resin, reaching roughly USD 10,000 per kg at end-user level for premium extract.
Distilled oud oil is a separate market entirely. The canonical brand band, as of 2026, is USD 30,000-80,000 per kg for oud/agarwood oil (indicative). Kumparan’s banjarhits coverage from South Kalimantan reported high-quality agarwood oil at USD 20,000-50,000 per litre, driven by Middle East perfume and bakhoor demand, while tokolantaikayu.net in 2025 listed niche oud oil at Rp 5-30 million per 10 ml.
What should buyers check before paying resin-grade prices?
Grade and price are only half the transaction. Aquilaria spp. is listed under CITES Appendix II, so legal export requires a CITES permit and a BKSDA (Balai Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam) recommendation, plus proof of legal origin through KLHK and, in practice, ASGARIN membership. A CITES export permit is typically valid up to about six months, and processing can take up to around 60 days for some destinations.
Gaharu Export is a sourcing broker and information hub, not a permit authority. We work plantation-first and never promote wild-harvest. Confirm current requirements with the CITES Management Authority (Indonesia) and your own import country before contracting. Treat every figure here as indicative and subject to change, and let a graded sample and a written quote — not a headline price — settle the deal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a higher resin grade always mean a gaharu chip will sink?
Usually, but not always. Sinking signals high resin density, so top grades like gubal or Kynam almost always sink. However, a small dense chip can sink while a large, unevenly resinated piece stays partly afloat. Graders combine the sink test with colour, weight, and aroma rather than relying on flotation alone.
How is resin content actually measured when grading gaharu?
Field grading is sensory: weight in hand, colour depth, the sink-or-float test, and aroma when gently heated. For higher-value lots, buyers add laboratory checks such as oil content and resin concentration. There is no single universal percentage standard, which is why the same chip can land in different named grades depending on the grader’s house scale.
Why do resin-grade prices for the same gaharu vary so much between sources?
Sources price different things. UGM’s 2016 bands use named local cuts; tokolantaikayu’s 2025 table grades by resin content; export lists quote in USD by international grade name. Retail listings on sites like Lamudi are per-kilogram consumer prices, not bulk export quotes. Add currency, date, and region differences, and identical-looking gaharu shows wide published spreads.