Furniture, wood & rattan
Indonesian seagrass
Seagrass is dried, twisted into cord and woven into baskets, storage and light furniture. It is cheap, renewable and entirely an indoor material. As with every plant fibre Indonesia exports, moisture at loading is what decides whether a container arrives sound.
How it leaves the country.
- Baskets and storage
- The volume trade. Short runs are practical, and design changes are cheap.
- Woven furniture
- Over a timber or steel frame, which is a separate specification from the weave.
- Cord and braid
- The prepared material, bought by weavers rather than by end buyers.
How it is graded.
No standard defines this. What replaces one is a specification for the cord, the weave and the drying, plus an inspection that checks moisture before the container closes.
- Drying
- The single thing that decides whether a consignment arrives sound. Material loaded damp arrives with mould, and no finish prevents it.
- Consistency
- Natural fibre varies in colour and thickness between harvests. Agree the acceptable range in writing and inspect against it.
- Frame
- Where the piece is woven over a frame, name the frame material. It changes the price and the behaviour.
How it is packed.
- The moisture problem
- A sealed container crossing the equator sweats. Desiccant, proper drying and a pre-loading check are the three things to insist on.
- Wood packaging
- Crates, pallets and dunnage are treated and marked under ISPM 15, whatever the goods are made of1
Where it grows.
Central Java
Java
Weaving clusters working alongside the water hyacinth and rattan trades.
West Java
Java
A second weaving base with the same collectors and the same seasonality.
Bali
Bali
Design and finishing aimed at retail and hospitality interiors.
Who buys this.
Choosing between this and something else.
Origins with a protected name.
Names the trade contracts on, most of them on the Indonesian register of geographical indications.
Documentation, where applicable.
- ISPM 15 treatment mark
- On the wood packaging around the goods.1
- Fumigation certificate
- Where the destination requires treatment for plant fibre goods. Settle it before loading.
- Certificate of origin
- Which form applies depends on the destination and on the preference scheme in force.
Questions buyers ask.
How is it different from water hyacinth?
Different plant, different texture and a different look. Seagrass is finer and paler, hyacinth is chunkier and darker. Both are indoor materials with the same moisture risk, and buyers often specify one and accept the other without noticing.
Will it last outdoors?
No. It is dried grass. Covered terraces are the limit, and anyone offering it for exposed use is misunderstanding the material.
How do I avoid mould on arrival?
Insist on a moisture check before the container is sealed, use desiccant, and do not accept loading during heavy rain without one. This is the most common complaint on woven goods and it is entirely preventable.
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
- 1ISPM 15, regulation of wood packaging material in international trade. International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), FAO. Checked 3 August 2026.