West Java · Java
Cirebon rattan
Cirebon on the north coast of West Java is where rattan cut across the archipelago comes to be processed and woven. Indonesia restricts export of the raw cane specifically to keep this work in the country, which makes Cirebon the place a foreign buyer actually deals with.
What makes it different.
- A processing cluster, not a growing one
- The cane comes from Sulawesi and Kalimantan. Cirebon cleans, sorts, peels, cores and weaves it, and that concentration of skill is the reason to be here.1
- The export policy points at this town
- Raw cane export is restricted to protect domestic weaving, so semi-finished and finished goods are what leave. Cirebon is where they are made.1
- Many small workshops
- Production runs through a dense network of small units rather than large factories, which brings flexibility on design and makes consistency the thing to manage.
- Species and diameter matter more than grade
- Several rattan species trade under one name with different working properties. A specification names the species, not a grade letter.
Getting it out.
- On the Java north coast road
- Between Jakarta and Semarang, with good road access to both. Container frequency out of Java is the best in the country.
- Volume rather than weight
- Woven and semi-finished rattan is light and bulky, so a container fills by space with weight to spare.
What we source here.
Indonesian rattan furniture
Indonesia restricts export of raw rattan, so what leaves the country is finished furniture. What that means for a buyer, and how to specify a piece.
Indonesian rattan webbing and cane
Raw cane export is restricted and semi-finished material is not. What that means for a workshop buying webbing, peel and core from Indonesia.
Indonesian water hyacinth furniture
An invasive weed from Javanese lakes, woven into furniture. What it suits, what it does not, and why moisture decides whether a container arrives sound.
Indonesian seagrass
Woven from dried grass into baskets, storage and furniture. What it suits, what it does not, and why moisture decides whether a container arrives sound.
One container, several producers
What can share a container and what cannot, why regulatory documents never merge into one set, and the five steps that make it work.
Container loading and what actually fits
The cubic capacity figures in circulation disagree with each other. What really decides a load is weight, geometry and the carrier's own specification.
Questions buyers ask.
Can I buy raw cane in Cirebon?
Not for export. The restriction on raw cane exists precisely to keep the processing here, and Cirebon is the beneficiary of that policy. What you can buy is webbing, peel, core, pre-cut components and finished furniture.
Why does colour vary between deliveries?
Natural material and separate production runs. Rattan drifts in colour between batches and between seasons. The answer is ordering the whole quantity from one run and writing a tolerance into the contract.
Is Cirebon the only rattan cluster?
It is the largest and the one most export buyers work with. Other centres exist, and the concentration of processing skill and the availability of every semi-finished form is what keeps buyers coming to this stretch of coast.
What does your service cost?
Five per cent of the order value, paid by you and never by the factory. A factory audit starts at $250 depending on location. We work with orders from $10,000 per shipment.
Buying from Cirebon?
Tell us the specification and the port. We go to the region, look at the material and put the documents together before anyone quotes a price.
Sources
- 1What the Indonesian rattan export ban means for markets and collectors. Forest Policy and Economics. Checked 3 August 2026.