Shellac
Shellac is the refined resin secreted by the lac insect Kerria lacca, which feeds on the sap of host trees across India, Thailand, Laos and southern China and encrusts the twigs with a hard protective lac. The scraped crude lac is washed, sieved and then either heat filtered or solvent processed into flakes. It is the only commercial resin of animal origin, and it is used as a food and pharmaceutical glaze for confectionery, fruit and tablets, as a traditional French polish and wood finish, as a binder in inks and hairspray, as an insulating varnish, and as a coating in the electronics and abrasive trades.
Listed shellac markets
Each line is a grade at a delivery point. Open one for its full specification and terms.
Grades
Shellac is contracted on the processing route, on the wax and colour condition, and on the constants that decide how the resin flows and cures. Route and wax status are the two terms that separate the articles most sharply.
Processing route as the contracted article
9 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| SticklacCrude scraped lac, as harvested | Twig, insect bodies, dye and resin together. The raw feedstock, contracted on resin content. |
| SeedlacWashed, dried and sieved crude lac | Graded by crop and region. Kusmi seedlac from the summer crop is pale and premium, Bysakhi seedlac is darker, and Lampang seedlac is the Thai article. |
| Handmade shellacHeat melted and stretched by hand | The traditional route. Includes buttonlac, cast as discs, and handmade flake. |
| Machine-made shellacHeat melted and filtered mechanically | The bulk industrial route, producing consistent flake. |
| Dewaxed shellacSolvent processed with the wax removed | Filtered clear, the article specified where clarity matters. Wax content is the contracted number. |
| Dewaxed decolourised shellacDewaxed and colour reduced | Carbon or resin treated. The food and pharmaceutical glaze article. |
| Bleached shellacChemically bleached, regular or refined | Pale to near white, with a shorter storage life. Contracted with a manufacture date. |
| Garnet lacDark, dewaxed by solvent | A deep coloured article valued for wood finishing. |
| Aleuritic acid contentPercentage by mass | The authenticity marker for genuine lac resin. Determined by chromatography, and the check against rosin and synthetic adulteration. |
Physical condition and colour
6 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Colour indexDetermined on a solution of stated concentration by the standard lac trade method | The instrumental colour number for the lot. Lower is paler. |
| ColourDeclared, against a retained reference sample | Lemon, orange, garnet and blonde through to near white for bleached grades. Matched to a sealed sample. |
| Life under heat, or flowMinutes, at the stated temperature | How long the resin stays fluid before it polymerises. The working number for the polishing and moulding trades. |
| Heat polymerisation timeMinutes, at the stated temperature | A measure of how far the resin has already advanced. It reads storage age directly. |
| Flake size and formDeclared, with the sieve aperture | Flake, button, powder or dissolved solution. Powdered grades are contracted with a mesh. |
| Solution clarityDeclared, on a solution of stated concentration in ethanol | Filtered clear for dewaxed articles, cloudy where wax is present. |
Composition and laboratory constants
10 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Wax contentPercentage by mass, maximum | The defining split between waxy and dewaxed articles. |
| Acid valueMilligrams of potassium hydroxide per gram | Free acid content, by titration. It also tracks the age of the resin. |
| Hot alcohol insolublesPercentage by mass, maximum | What will not dissolve. The cleanliness measure for a filtered product. |
| Volatile matter and moisturePercentage by mass, maximum | Determined by oven drying. |
| Ash contentPercentage by mass, maximum | Mineral residue after incineration. |
| Rosin testLimit test, negative | The classical adulteration check for added rosin. |
| Orpiment and arsenicMilligrams per kilogram, maximum | Arsenic sulphide was historically added as a colourant. It is screened against the destination limits. |
| Heavy metalsMilligrams per kilogram, maximum | Lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. |
| Microbiological limitsColony forming units per gram, maximum, with the pathogen absence criteria | Contracted where the material is a food or pharmaceutical glaze. |
| Food additive numberDeclared, as INS 904 or E 904 | The regulatory identity of the article in the destination market. |
Origin, legality and delivery
8 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. |
| Crop and manufacture dateDeclared | Shellac polymerises in storage. Bleached and dewaxed grades in particular are contracted with a manufacture date and a storage temperature. |
| Host tree and crop seasonDeclared | Kusum, palas and ber host trees, and the Kusmi and Rangeeni crop cycles, drive colour and yield. |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| India | Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Maharashtra | Origin and destination |
| Thailand | Lampang, Chiang Mai, Phrae and the northern provinces | Origin |
| Laos | Bolikhamxay, Xieng Khouang and Vientiane province | Origin |
| China | Yunnan, Guangxi and Sichuan | Origin and destination |
| Myanmar | Shan State and Sagaing | Origin |
| Vietnam | Northern highlands | Origin |
| Indonesia | East Java and Nusa Tenggara | Origin |
| Bangladesh | Rajshahi and Chapai Nawabganj | Origin |
| Germany | North Rhine-Westphalia and Hamburg | Destination |
| United States | New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois and California | Destination |
| United Kingdom | London, the Midlands and the North West | Destination |
| France | Paris basin and Lyon | Destination |
| Italy | Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna | Destination |
| Spain | Barcelona and Valencia | Destination |
| Netherlands | Rotterdam and Amsterdam | Destination |
| Belgium | Antwerp | Destination |
| Switzerland | Basel | Destination |
| Poland | Warsaw and Gdansk | Destination |
| Turkey | Istanbul | Destination |
| Japan | Tokyo, Osaka and Aichi | Destination |
| South Korea | Seoul and Busan | Destination |
| Taiwan | Taipei and Kaohsiung | Destination |
| Singapore | Singapore | Destination |
| Malaysia | Port Klang | Destination |
| United Arab Emirates | Dubai | Destination |
| Egypt | Cairo | Destination |
| Brazil | Sao Paulo | Destination |
| Mexico | Mexico City and Jalisco | Destination |
| Canada | Ontario and Quebec | Destination |
| Australia | Victoria and New South Wales | Destination |
| South Africa | Gauteng | Destination |
Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown here.
Timing
Harvest is when the encrusted lac is scraped from the host tree at origin. Arrival is when a shipment from that origin typically lands in a consuming market. The gap between them is washing, sieving, heat or solvent processing, grading, laboratory clearance and the voyage.
HarvestArrival
| Origin | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | Window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | Harvest and arrival | Harvest | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Arrival | Harvest Jan to Nov, arrival Mar to JanTwo crop cycles. The Kusmi crop yields Jethwi in the summer and Aghani in the winter, and the Rangeeni crop yields Baisakhi and Katki. Scraping, washing, sieving and heat processing sit between the crop and the shipment. | |
| Thailand | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Mar to Dec, arrival May to FebTwo annual crops on the northern host trees, with Lampang the trade centre for seedlac. | ||
| Laos | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest Mar to Dec, arrival Jan to AugTwo crops on the Thai pattern, moving out through Thailand or Vietnam. | |
| China | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest May to Jan, arrival Jan to SepYunnan and Guangxi crops on a two cycle pattern, largely feeding domestic processing. | ||
| Myanmar | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest Mar to Dec, arrival Jan to AugShan State collection on the regional crop pattern. |
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 shellac. 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 Lac and shellac, natural gums and resins
- 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 shellac does SIP Global trade?
We quote 33 published grades of shellac, including Sticklac - Crude scraped lac, as harvested, Seedlac - Washed, dried and sieved crude lac, Handmade shellac - Heat melted and stretched by hand, Machine-made shellac - Heat melted and filtered mechanically, Dewaxed shellac - Solvent processed with the wax removed and Dewaxed decolourised shellac - Dewaxed and colour reduced. Every grade is tied to a delivery point and a settlement route. Grades outside the published list are priced on request.
How is shellac graded?
Shellac is contracted on the processing route, on the wax and colour condition, and on the constants that decide how the resin flows and cures. Route and wax status are the two terms that separate the articles most sharply. Grading runs on 4 systems: Processing route as the contracted article, Physical condition and colour, Composition and laboratory constants and Origin, legality and delivery.
Where does SIP Global trade shellac?
We trade shellac in India, Thailand, Laos, China, Myanmar, Vietnam, Indonesia and Bangladesh and 23 further markets. Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown.
When is shellac harvested and when does it arrive?
Typical windows are India: harvest jan to nov, arrival mar to jan; Thailand: harvest mar to dec, arrival may to feb; Laos: harvest mar to dec, arrival jan to aug; China: harvest may to jan, arrival jan to sep; Myanmar: harvest mar to dec, arrival jan to aug. 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 shellac?
Shellac is normally classified under HS 1301.90 (lac and shellac, natural gums and resins). 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 shellac?
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. 2 listed shellac markets are 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.
- 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.