Furniture, wood & rattan
Wood chips
Wood chips move in very large quantity to pulp mills and biomass plants. It is a bulk trade rather than a container one, priced on delivered energy or fibre, and the legality documentation is the part that decides whether a European or American buyer can take it.
How it leaves the country.
- Pulp chips
- Sized for pulping, from plantation species. Bought on species, size distribution and moisture.
- Fuel chips
- For biomass energy, bought on calorific value and moisture. Less demanding on size and species.
- Bulk vessel cargo
- Loaded by conveyor into a bulk carrier. This is how the volume moves.
- Containerised
- Only for small quantities and specialist grades, because the freight economics are poor.
How it is graded.
Four numbers and a document set. The document set is where most European and American purchases actually stall.
- Species
- Plantation acacia and eucalyptus dominate. Species decides fibre character for pulping and it decides the legality question.
- Moisture
- Determines both the delivered energy and the weight you paid for. It is the number that moves most between loading and discharge.
- Size distribution
- Oversize, accepts and fines. Pulp mills care considerably and biomass plants care less.
- Bark and contamination
- Bark, soil and metal. All three cause problems downstream and all three are screening questions.
- Calorific value
- For fuel chips, the commercial figure, stated at a defined moisture basis.
- Legality documentation
- A wood product, so timber legality applies and European buyers add deforestation due diligence.
How it is packed.
- Bulk vessel
- Loaded loose. Chartering, laytime and demurrage are a different commercial world from container shipping.
- Moisture in transit
- Chips take up and lose water, and they can heat in a hold. Both are managed by loading condition rather than in transit.
- Weight determination
- Draft survey or weighbridge, with independent verification. On a bulk cargo this is a substantial sum.
- Sampling at loading
- Independent sampling and analysis at load port, which is standard in this trade and worth its cost.
Where it grows.
South Sumatra
Sumatra
Large plantation forestry with chipping and port infrastructure.
Riau
Sumatra
Plantation forestry serving the pulp industry, with dedicated terminals.
East Kalimantan
Kalimantan
Forestry and chipping with deep-water loading.
South Kalimantan
Kalimantan
Plantation and natural forest areas with export capability.
Documentation, where applicable.
- SVLK certificate
- Indonesian timber legality, required for wood products leaving the country.1
- EUDR due diligence statement
- Wood is in scope, and the obligation sits with the operator placing goods on the EU market.2
- Weight and quality certificate
- Independent survey at load port, which on a bulk cargo is a large commercial figure.
- Phytosanitary certificate
- Where the destination requires it for unprocessed wood, and fumigation may apply.3
Questions buyers ask.
Can I buy wood chips in containers?
For small quantities and specialist grades, yes, and the freight economics are poor. The trade runs on bulk vessels because the value per tonne is low.
What decides the price?
Species and moisture for pulp chips, calorific value and moisture for fuel. Moisture appears in both because you are paying to ship water either way.
Is the legality paperwork difficult?
For plantation material with an established chain, it is routine. It becomes the hard part where the fibre comes from mixed sources, and that is exactly what European due diligence is designed to surface.
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
- 1SVLK, Indonesia's timber legality assurance system. FLEGT licence information service. Checked 3 August 2026.
- 2Regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR). European Commission. Checked 3 August 2026.
- 3Badan Karantina Indonesia, the national quarantine agency. Republic of Indonesia. Checked 3 August 2026.