Abaca
Abaca is the leaf sheath fibre of Musa textilis, a banana relative grown in the humid tropics and harvested by stripping the outer layers of the pseudostem. It is one of the strongest natural fibres in commercial use and it holds that strength when wet, which is why it went into marine cordage for centuries. Today the bulk of the crop is pulped for speciality papers: teabag and coffee filter tissue, currency and security paper, electrolytic condenser paper, meat casings and high performance filter media. The remainder goes into cordage, twine, geotextiles, handicraft and woven fabric, and a growing share into composite reinforcement for automotive panels.
Listed abaca markets
Each line is a grade at a delivery point. Open one for its full specification and terms.
Grades
Abaca is contracted on the Philippine grading and classification rules, which sort fibre by stripping method, colour, texture and cleanliness into named commercial grades, supported by instrument measurement of strength, length and moisture.
Fibre identity and species
3 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Botanical speciesDeclared and verified | Musa textilis. Distinguished from banana pseudostem fibre and from sisal by microscopy of the cell structure. |
| Stripping methodDeclared | Hand stripped, spindle stripped or decorticated. It is the primary division in the grading rules because it determines how much residual tissue stays on the fibre. |
| Retting and drying routeDeclared | Sun dried or mechanically dried, with the drying period declared. It drives colour and it drives mould risk in the bale. |
Philippine commercial grade classification
15 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| S2Streaky two, hand stripped | The highest hand stripped grade. Ivory white to light ochre, excellent texture, soft, and free of residual tissue. |
| S3Streaky three, hand stripped | Light ochre to light brown, good texture, soft, with only slight tissue. |
| ICurrent, hand stripped | Light brown to dark brown, good texture, with a slightly harder hand than the streaky grades. |
| GSoft seconds, hand stripped | Dingy white to light brown, soft texture, drawn from the outer leaf sheaths. |
| HSoft brown, hand stripped | Light brown to dark brown, soft texture. |
| JKSoft seconds and coarse, hand stripped | Dingy white to dark brown, coarse and stiff. |
| M1Medium brown, hand stripped | Dull brown to dark brown, coarse texture. |
| YDamaged, hand stripped | Off colour or overretted fibre outside the named grades. |
| ADExcellent, spindle stripped | Ivory white, excellent texture, from the outer leaf sheaths. The premium pulping grade. |
| EFGood, spindle stripped | Light ochre to light brown, good texture. |
| S-S2Streaky two, spindle stripped | Ivory white to light ochre, spindle stripped equivalent of S2. |
| S-S3Streaky three, spindle stripped | Light ochre to light brown, spindle stripped equivalent of S3. |
| G-GradeSoft seconds, spindle stripped | Dingy white to light brown, soft, spindle stripped. |
| OTOverretted or off type | Fibre that has been left in water or in the pile too long, dark and weakened. |
| Residual tissuePercentage by mass, maximum | The gum, parenchyma and epidermis left on the fibre after stripping. It is the physical basis under the colour and texture judgement, and it is what a pulp mill actually pays for. |
Physical and mechanical measurement
9 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Fibre lengthCentimetres, declared as a range | Measured on straightened bundles. Pulping buyers contract a minimum; cordage buyers contract a range. |
| Tensile strengthGrams force per denier, or newtons per tex, minimum | Determined by bundle or single fibre tensile test under ISO 5079. Abaca is bought for this number. |
| Wet strength retentionPercentage of dry strength | The property that separates abaca from the other hard fibres and the reason it went into marine rope. |
| Elongation at breakPercentage | Measured with the tensile test. |
| Fibre finenessDenier or decitex | Determined gravimetrically or on a vibroscope under ISO 1973. |
| Moisture contentPercentage by mass, maximum | Measured at the standard atmosphere under ISO 139. Contract weight is settled at a stated regain, not at landed weight. |
| Alpha cellulose contentPercentage by mass, minimum | The pulping yield driver. Contracted on any lot destined for a speciality paper mill. |
| Ash and extractivesPercentage by mass, maximum | Mineral and soluble residue carried through to the pulp. |
| Foreign matterPercentage by mass, maximum | Soil, bark, leaf tissue and any non-abaca plant material, separated by hand and weighed. |
Delivery, packing and certification
9 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Baling and packingDeclared, with the bale weight and the pack material | Pressed bales, hydraulic bales, hanks or bundles, with the wrapping named. Synthetic wrap is excluded where contamination is a contract term. |
| Marking and lot identityDeclared | Bale marks, lot number and the test certificate number, tied to the sample retained by both parties. |
| Test certificateCertificate, with the issuing house | An independent test house certificate is the contract document in this trade and the lot is settled against it. |
| Sampling methodDeclared | Core sampling, grab sampling or full lot testing, with the number of bales sampled written into the contract. |
| Fumigation and phytosanitary treatmentDeclared, with the certificate | Named where the destination requires it for a plant or animal origin fibre. |
| CertificationCertificate, with the scheme and the certificate number | Organic, Responsible Wool, Responsible Alpaca, Responsible Mohair, Fairtrade or a private buyer standard, named on the contract when it is contracted. |
| Clip or crop yearDeclared | The shearing season or the harvest year, recorded with the lot. |
| Bale pressingDeclared | Standard export bales, pressed and wrapped, with the bale weight and the wrap material named. |
| Classifier certificateCertificate, with the classifier licence number | The official grading certificate is the contract document for Philippine origin fibre. |
Grades outside this list trade on request. Send us the contract specification you work to and we will price against it.
Locations
| Country | Region | We trade it as |
|---|---|---|
| Philippines | Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Davao, Caraga and the Zamboanga Peninsula | Origin and destination |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo, Los Rios and Esmeraldas | Origin and destination |
| Costa Rica | Limon and the Caribbean lowlands | Origin and destination |
| Indonesia | North Sumatra and Sulawesi | Origin and destination |
| Malaysia | Sabah | Origin and destination |
| India | Andaman and Nicobar and the northeastern states | Origin and destination |
| Japan | Ehime, Shizuoka and the speciality paper cluster | Destination |
| United Kingdom | England, speciality paper and filtration | Destination |
| Germany | Baden-Wurttemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia | Destination |
| Spain | Basque Country and Catalonia | Destination |
| France | Rhone-Alpes and Grand Est | Destination |
| Italy | Lombardy and Veneto | Destination |
| Netherlands | Rotterdam and the inland waterway network | Destination |
| Belgium | Antwerp | Destination |
| United States | Northeast and Pacific Northwest paper and cordage | Destination |
| Canada | Quebec and Ontario | Destination |
| China | Guangdong, Zhejiang and Shandong | Destination |
| South Korea | Gyeonggi and South Jeolla | Destination |
| Taiwan | Taoyuan and Tainan | Destination |
| Vietnam | Binh Duong and Hai Phong | Destination |
| Thailand | Bangkok and the Eastern Seaboard | Destination |
| Turkey | Istanbul, Bursa and Izmir | Destination |
| India | Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, cordage and paper | Destination |
| Brazil | Sao Paulo and Parana | Destination |
| Mexico | Mexico State and Nuevo Leon | Destination |
| United Arab Emirates | Jebel Ali, re-export and distribution | Destination |
| Singapore | Regional trading and consolidation | Destination |
Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown here.
Timing
Harvest is when the fibre is shorn, cut or retted at origin. Arrival is when a shipment from that origin typically lands in a consuming market. The gap between them is classing, testing, baling and the voyage.
HarvestArrival
| Origin | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | Window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philippines | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecStripped year round on a rolling cycle, each stalk cut when the pseudostem matures. The typhoon season from July to November interrupts stripping and drying in Bicol and Eastern Visayas and it is the main supply risk in the calendar. |
| Ecuador | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecContinuous cutting on plantation scale with mechanical decortication, which gives Ecuador a steadier flow than the Philippine smallholder base. |
| Costa Rica | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecYear round cutting, with the heaviest rain from September to November slowing field drying. |
| Indonesia | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecSmallholder cutting through the year, with the wet season from November to March lengthening the drying period. |
Windows outside this pattern trade on request, including carry, forward positions and stock already sitting in a destination warehouse.
Customs, packing and contract terms
Indicative terms for abaca. Tariff classification is the importer’s responsibility and limits change, so confirm both against the destination customs authority and the current regulation before you fix a contract.
- HS heading5305.00 Coconut, abaca, ramie and other vegetable textile fibres, raw or processed but not spun
- PackingCompressed bales. Jute and sisal at 180 kg to 250 kg, animal fibre at 100 kg to 300 kg pressed under hessian or polypropylene wrap, silk in cartons. Bale identification must carry the lot and the test certificate number.
- Container loading20ft: 10 t to 18 t depending on bale density. Wool, cashmere and other animal fibres are volume limited well before weight.
- Contract and arbitrationIWTO Blue Book terms with IWTO core test certificates and arbitration under IWTO rules for wool and fine animal hair. Plant fibres on the contract of the origin trade association or on CIF terms with arbitration at the named seat.
- Destination limitsPhytosanitary certification for plant fibres under Regulation 2016/2031 and veterinary health certification for animal fibre under Regulation 2016/429 and Regulation 142/2011. EU REACH restrictions on residual dyes, biocides and azo colourants. CITES prohibits trade in shahtoosh and controls vicuna.
Common questions
What grades of abaca does SIP Global trade?
We quote 36 published grades of abaca, including Botanical species - Declared and verified, Stripping method - Declared, Retting and drying route - Declared, S2 - Streaky two, hand stripped, S3 - Streaky three, hand stripped and I - Current, hand stripped. Every grade is tied to a delivery point and a settlement route. Grades outside the published list are priced on request.
How is abaca graded?
Abaca is contracted on the Philippine grading and classification rules, which sort fibre by stripping method, colour, texture and cleanliness into named commercial grades, supported by instrument measurement of strength, length and moisture. Grading runs on 4 systems: Fibre identity and species, Philippine commercial grade classification, Physical and mechanical measurement and Delivery, packing and certification.
Where does SIP Global trade abaca?
We trade abaca in Philippines, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Japan and United Kingdom and 19 further markets. Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown.
When is abaca harvested and when does it arrive?
Typical windows are Philippines: harvest jan to dec, arrival jan to dec; Ecuador: harvest jan to dec, arrival jan to dec; Costa Rica: harvest jan to dec, arrival jan to dec; Indonesia: harvest jan to dec, arrival jan to dec. Harvest is when the lot is taken at origin, arrival is when a shipment from that origin lands in a consuming market. Windows outside this pattern, including carry, trade on request.
What is the HS code for abaca?
Abaca is normally classified under HS 5305.00 (coconut, abaca, ramie and other vegetable textile fibres, raw or processed but not spun). The heading follows the form the goods are in at the border, and national tariffs extend it beyond six digits, so confirm the full line with the destination customs authority before you fix a contract.
How do I get a price for abaca?
Send the grade, the origin and the delivery window to the SIP Global desk. That is enough for a trader to come back with a level and a settlement route. 1 listed abaca market is published on this page, each with its full specification and terms. We take both sides, physical and financial, prompt to long dated.
Standards and data sources
The grading language on this sheet follows published standards. Trade volumes and tariff lines are public record. Verify anything here against the source.
- ISOInternational Organization for Standardization
- IPPCInternational Plant Protection Convention phytosanitary measures
- UN ComtradeOfficial international trade statistics by HS code
- ITC Trade MapBilateral trade flows and tariff data
- FAOSTATFAO production and trade series for agricultural commodities
Price this with our desk
Grade, origin and window if you have them. If what you are carrying does not fit the sheet above, describe it in your own words and a trader will take it from there.