Essential oils & personal care
Indonesian sandalwood
Indonesian sandalwood is Santalum album, historically from Timor and the wider East Nusa Tenggara islands. Overharvesting has left the wild resource depleted, the species is assessed as vulnerable, and Indonesian regulation on it has been substantially revised. Legality comes before quality on this product.
How it leaves the country.
- Heartwood
- The fragrant part, sold by grade and by santalol content. What the trade means by sandalwood.
- Oil
- Steam-distilled from heartwood, sold in small volumes at high value into perfumery.
- Chips and powder
- Lower grades and by-products, used in incense and traditional applications.
How it is graded.
Establish the legal position for the specific material before discussing grade, because the answer decides whether there is anything to grade.
- Regulated and revised
- Indonesian rules on sandalwood ownership, harvesting and trade have been reworked, so confirm the current position rather than relying on what was true before.1
- The wild resource is depleted
- The species is assessed as vulnerable and population decline is attributed to illegal harvesting and overexploitation.1
- Plantation material
- Farmed sandalwood exists and is growing, and it sits differently in the system from wild-harvested wood. Establish which you are being offered.
How it is packed.
- High value by weight
- Packing is a security question as much as a protection one, and documentation travels with the goods.
- Oil
- Small lined containers filled by net weight, with retained samples on both sides.
Where it grows.
Timor
Nusa Tenggara
The historic source, and where the regulatory framework is focused.
Sumba
Nusa Tenggara
Part of the same island group and the same trade.
Flores and Alor
Nusa Tenggara
Smaller stands with the same rules applying.
Documentation, where applicable.
- Legality documentation
- Establishing the origin of the wood and the right to harvest and trade it. This is the document that decides whether the shipment happens.1
- Certificate of analysis
- For oil, santalol content on the batch that shipped, against what the contract names.
- Phytosanitary certificate
- Where the destination requires one for a plant-derived raw material.2
- Certificate of origin
- Which form applies depends on the destination and on the preference scheme in force.
Questions buyers ask.
Can you source Indonesian sandalwood?
Only where the material is lawfully harvested and documented, and often the honest answer is that what you want is not available legally in the volume you want. Australian and Indian plantation sandalwood are the realistic alternatives for a continuous programme.
Is plantation sandalwood the same?
Same species, and the oil profile depends on tree age as much as on origin. Young plantation wood is not equivalent to old-growth heartwood, which is why age belongs in the specification.
Why is the regulation so strict?
Because the wild resource was harvested to the point of collapse. The rules exist for a reason, and a supplier who treats them as an obstacle to be worked around is offering you a legal problem rather than a bargain.
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.
Worth reading.
Tell us what you need.
Give us the specification and the destination port. We come back with producer options and an indicative price. Our fee is 5 % of the order value, paid by you and never by the factory.
Sources
- 1Status of sandalwood in Indonesia and neighbouring countries. Springer. Checked 3 August 2026.
- 2Badan Karantina Indonesia, the national quarantine agency. Republic of Indonesia. Checked 3 August 2026.