Copal
Copal is a hard aromatic tree resin gathered either fresh from the bark or dug from the soil beneath the tree, where it has lain long enough to begin the slow chemical hardening that ends, over geological time, in amber. East African copal comes from Hymenaea, West African from Daniellia, and Mesoamerican from Protium and Bursera. It is burned as ceremonial and religious incense across Latin America, Africa and Asia, worked into varnishes and lacquers, used as a fixative and a natural adhesive, and cut and polished as an ornamental material.
Listed copal markets
Each line is a grade at a delivery point. Open one for its full specification and terms.
Grades
Copal is contracted on species, on how long the resin has been out of the tree, and on how it was cleaned and screened. Age is the single largest driver of value, because it fixes hardness, solubility and whether the piece can be worked at all.
Species and maturity as the contracted article
8 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| East African copalHymenaea verrucosa | Gathered in Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar and Zanzibar. Historically the varnish trade standard and the hardest of the commercial copals. |
| West African copalDaniellia oliveri and related species | Softer, paler material from the Guinean and Sudanian belt. |
| Congo copalGuibourtia demeusei and related species | A hard semi-fossil copal from the Congo basin. |
| Mesoamerican copalProtium copal and Bursera species | The ceremonial incense copal of Mexico and Guatemala, sold as copal blanco, copal oro and copal negro by collection route. |
| Manila copalAgathis dammara | Collected in Indonesia and the Philippines, straddling the boundary between copal and dammar in the trade. |
| Recent, or tree copalFresh exudate from the standing tree | Soft, pale, tacky and fully soluble in ethanol. Burns cleanly and is the ceremonial article. |
| Semi-fossil copalSub-surface, from soil at the base of the tree | Partly hardened by burial. The intermediate article, and the bulk of commercial supply. |
| Fossil copalDeep buried, long resident in the soil | Hard, dark and only partly soluble. Worked as an ornamental material and used where hardness is the point. |
Physical grading
6 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Size sortationSieve aperture in millimetres, or a declared piece size range | Screened at origin. Large clean pieces, mixed, and siftings are separately contracted lots. |
| Colour and clarityDeclared, against a retained reference sample | Pale, amber, honey and dark. Matched to a sealed sample held by both parties rather than scored on a scale. |
| Hardness and softening pointDegrees Celsius, ring-and-ball | Determined to ASTM E28 practice. The measurable proxy for maturity and the number the varnish buyer works to. |
| SolubilityDeclared, as the solvent and the percentage dissolved | Ethanol, turpentine and aromatic solvents. Recent copal dissolves readily, fossil copal does not, and this is how the two are separated on the bench. |
| Surface cleaningDeclared | Washed, brushed or left with adhering soil. It is the difference between paying resin prices for resin and paying them for dirt. |
| FormDeclared | Whole pieces, crushed, granulated to a stated mesh, or powdered. |
Chemical constants
5 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Acid valueMilligrams of potassium hydroxide per gram | Free acid content, by titration. Falls as the resin ages and polymerises. |
| Saponification valueMilligrams of potassium hydroxide per gram | Total acid and ester content. |
| Volatile oil contentPercentage by mass | Determined by hydrodistillation. Recent copal carries a substantial volatile fraction, fossil copal almost none. |
| Ethanol-soluble extractivePercentage by mass | The classical separation between recent, semi-fossil and fossil material. |
| Chromatographic fingerprintFull chromatogram, retained | Gas chromatography with mass spectrometry on the soluble fraction, compared against a reference for the declared species. |
Purity and contaminants
7 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Loss on drying, or moisturePercentage by mass, maximum | Determined by oven drying or by the entrainment method. It is the weight the buyer is not paying resin prices for, and it drives caking in the drum. |
| Foreign organic matterPercentage by mass, maximum | Bark, leaf, soil, sand, insect and any plant material other than the named exudate, separated by hand and weighed. |
| Total ashPercentage by mass, maximum | Mineral residue after incineration. |
| Acid-insoluble ashPercentage by mass, maximum | The sand and silica fraction. The classical measure of how the material was collected off the ground. |
| Heavy metalsMilligrams per kilogram, maximum | Lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, against CXS 193. |
| Microbiological limitsColony forming units per gram, maximum, with the pathogen absence criteria | Total viable count, yeasts and moulds, Escherichia coli and Salmonella. Contracted where the material enters food, pharmaceutical or cosmetic manufacture. |
| Pesticide residuesMilligrams per kilogram, maximum | Multi-residue screen against the destination market limits. |
Origin, legality and delivery
6 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Botanical originDeclared, with the binomial species name | The genus alone is not a specification. Related species yield materially different material and they are priced apart. |
| Wild harvested or cultivatedDeclared | It drives availability, legality documentation and, in several of these articles, the chemistry. |
| Legality and collection permitDeclared, with the permit reference | Export permit, forest concession or community collection agreement. Wild resins move on paperwork and it travels with the lot. |
| CertificationCertificate, with the scheme and the certificate number | Organic, FairWild, Fair for Life or a private buyer standard, named on the contract when it is contracted. |
| PackingDeclared | Jute or polypropylene bags, cartons, fibre drums, steel drums or bulk bags, with the liner specified. Soft resins are contracted with a temperature term because they cold flow. |
| Sampling planDeclared | How many packages are sampled, by whom, and against which retained reference sample. Hand sorted natural material is heterogeneous between bags. |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Tanzania | Coastal regions, Lindi, Mtwara and Zanzibar | Origin |
| Mozambique | Nampula, Zambezia and Cabo Delgado | Origin |
| Madagascar | Eastern and northern forests | Origin |
| Kenya | Coastal hinterland | Origin |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Congo basin forests | Origin |
| Nigeria | Middle belt | Origin |
| Ghana | Northern and Brong-Ahafo regions | Origin |
| Cameroon | East and Centre regions | Origin |
| Mexico | Chiapas, Oaxaca, Guerrero and Puebla | Origin and destination |
| Guatemala | Alta Verapaz and Peten | Origin |
| Colombia | Amazon and Pacific regions | Origin |
| Indonesia | Sulawesi, Kalimantan and Maluku | Origin |
| Philippines | Mindanao and the Visayas | Origin |
| India | Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata | Destination |
| China | Guangdong and Shanghai | Destination |
| United States | California, Texas and New Jersey | Destination |
| Germany | Hamburg and Bavaria | Destination |
| France | Grasse, Marseille and Paris | Destination |
| United Kingdom | London | Destination |
| Netherlands | Rotterdam | Destination |
| Spain | Barcelona and Madrid | Destination |
| Italy | Milan and Genoa | Destination |
| Poland | Gdansk | Destination |
| Japan | Tokyo and Osaka | Destination |
| United Arab Emirates | Dubai | Destination |
| Saudi Arabia | Jeddah | Destination |
| Turkey | Istanbul | Destination |
| Brazil | Sao Paulo | Destination |
Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown here.
Timing
Harvest is when the material is tapped or gathered at origin. Arrival is when a shipment from that origin typically lands in a consuming market. The gap between them is drying, hand sorting, grading, laboratory clearance and the voyage.
HarvestArrival
| Origin | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | Window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tanzania | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Jun to Oct, arrival Sep to JanDigging and gathering run in the long dry season when the ground is workable. Sub-surface copal is a dry season article by physical necessity. | ||||
| Mozambique | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Jun to Oct, arrival Sep to JanSame dry season pattern, with material consolidated at Nacala and Beira. | ||||
| Madagascar | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest May to Oct, arrival Aug to JanDry season collection out of the eastern forests, shipped from Toamasina. | |||
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Jun to Aug, arrival Oct to JanA short reliable dry window and a long inland leg to the coast. | |||||
| Nigeria | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest Nov to Mar, arrival Feb to JunHarmattan season collection in the middle belt, when the ground is dry and hard. | ||||
| Mexico | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest Nov to Apr, arrival Jan to JunBark tapping for ceremonial copal runs in the dry season, with demand concentrated around the autumn festival calendar. | ||||
| Guatemala | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest Nov to Apr, arrival Jan to JunPeten and highland collection on the same dry season pattern as southern Mexico. | ||||
| Indonesia | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Apr to Sep, arrival Jul to DecManila copal tapping runs through the drier months, with continuous smaller volumes year round. | |||
| Philippines | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Feb to Jun, arrival May to SepDry season tapping ahead of the typhoon months. |
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 copal. 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 heading1301.90 Natural gums and resins, other, including copal
- PackingJute or PP bags of 25 kg to 50 kg for tears and lumps, fibre drums or lined cartons for hand sorted and graded material, steel drums for rosin and oleoresins.
- Container loading20ft: 12 t to 20 t depending on grade and bulk density. Hand sorted grades ship light.
- Contract and arbitrationSale on the sorted grade with a retained sealed sample and a certificate of analysis. European trade on the terms of the importing association, arbitration under ICC rules or at the contract seat.
- Destination limitsEU food additive specifications under Regulation 231/2012 where the gum is an additive, covering E414 gum arabic, E413 tragacanth and E904 shellac. Pesticide and heavy metal limits, EU REACH for technical grades, phytosanitary certification, and CITES where the botanical source is a listed species.
Common questions
What grades of copal does SIP Global trade?
We quote 32 published grades of copal, including East African copal - Hymenaea verrucosa, West African copal - Daniellia oliveri and related species, Congo copal - Guibourtia demeusei and related species, Mesoamerican copal - Protium copal and Bursera species, Manila copal - Agathis dammara and Recent, or tree copal - Fresh exudate from the standing tree. Every grade is tied to a delivery point and a settlement route. Grades outside the published list are priced on request.
How is copal graded?
Copal is contracted on species, on how long the resin has been out of the tree, and on how it was cleaned and screened. Age is the single largest driver of value, because it fixes hardness, solubility and whether the piece can be worked at all. Grading runs on 5 systems: Species and maturity as the contracted article, Physical grading, Chemical constants, Purity and contaminants and Origin, legality and delivery.
Where does SIP Global trade copal?
We trade copal in Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar, Kenya, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon and 20 further markets. Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown.
When is copal harvested and when does it arrive?
Typical windows are Tanzania: harvest jun to oct, arrival sep to jan; Mozambique: harvest jun to oct, arrival sep to jan; Madagascar: harvest may to oct, arrival aug to jan; Democratic Republic of the Congo: harvest jun to aug, arrival oct to jan; Nigeria: harvest nov to mar, arrival feb to jun. 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 copal?
Copal is normally classified under HS 1301.90 (natural gums and resins, other, including copal). 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 copal?
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 copal 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.
- ASTM InternationalMaterials and test method standards
- Codex AlimentariusFAO and WHO food standards
- 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.