Sisal
Sisal is the hard leaf fibre of the Agave sisalana plant. The long leaves are cut from the growing rosette, crushed and scraped in a decorticator to strip away the pulp, then washed, sun dried, brushed and baled. The fibre is stiff, coarse, very strong in tension and highly resistant to saltwater and abrasion, which is why it has been rope and twine for over a century. Sisal goes into agricultural baler and binder twine, marine and industrial cordage, carpets, rugs and matting, buffing and polishing cloth, plaster and composite reinforcement, dartboards, handicraft, and pulp for speciality papers. The short fibre and flume tow left by decortication is graded and traded separately.
Listed sisal markets
Each line is a grade at a delivery point. Open one for its full specification and terms.
Grades
Sisal is contracted on the East African grade ladder, which sorts brushed fibre by length, colour and cleanliness, supported by instrument measurement of strength, moisture and defect.
Fibre identity and species
4 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Botanical speciesDeclared | Agave sisalana. Henequen, Agave fourcroydes, and cantala, Agave cantala, are related hard fibres traded under their own names and never sold as sisal. |
| Extraction methodDeclared | Wet decortication with washing and sun drying, or dry decortication. The route sets the colour and the residual pulp. |
| Processing stateDeclared | Brushed fibre, unbrushed fibre, flume tow, sisal yarn or baler twine. |
| Cutting cycleDeclared | Which cut of the plant life the leaves came from. Fibre from the early cuts is finer, the late cuts coarser and stronger. |
East African grade classification
10 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| 3LThree L | The longest brushed grade. Long, clean, well brushed, bright cream fibre for premium cordage and carpet. |
| UGSuperior Grade | Long, clean and well brushed, the principal export grade of the East African trade. |
| SSUGSpecial Superior Grade | A selected upper grade above UG on length and colour, sold to premium cordage and carpet buyers. |
| No.1Number One | Shorter than UG, sound, clean and well brushed. |
| No.2Number Two | Shorter and less uniform, with more off colour fibre permitted. |
| No.3Number Three | The shortest of the graded brushed lines, discoloured fibre permitted, sold into twine and pulp. |
| SEShort Ends | Short brushed fibre separated at the brushing machine. |
| UFUnbrushed Fibre | Decorticated and dried but not brushed, carrying residual pulp and tangle. |
| TowFlume Tow | The short entangled fibre recovered from the decorticator waste stream and the wash flumes, dried and baled for pulp, upholstery and composites. |
| Brazilian and Madagascan equivalentsNamed on the contract | The producing country grade name and its East African equivalent, both written into the contract so the two ladders are unambiguous. |
Physical and mechanical measurement
10 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Brushed fibre lengthCentimetres, as a range | Measured on straightened brushed fibre. The defining split between the graded lines. |
| ColourAgainst the reference sample | Bright cream to white for well washed and sun dried fibre, through to yellow, grey and brown where drying was delayed. Colour cannot be corrected after drying and it caps the grade. |
| Tensile strengthNewtons per tex or kilograms force, minimum | Bundle strength determined under ISO 5079. Sisal is one of the strongest natural fibres in tension and this is what a rope maker buys. |
| Fibre finenessTex or denier | Determined gravimetrically under ISO 1973. |
| Moisture contentPercentage by mass, maximum | Measured at the standard atmosphere. Wet baled sisal heats, moulds and discolours in a container. |
| Pulp and residual tissuePercentage by mass, maximum | Leaf parenchyma left after decortication and washing. It attracts mould and it is the main cleanliness term. |
| Dust and short fibrePercentage by mass, maximum | The fines fraction removed at brushing. |
| Knots, tangles and defectDeclared, against the reference sample | Entangled, doubled and knotted fibre that stops a spinning frame. |
| Extraneous foreign matterPercentage by mass, maximum | Soil, stone, leaf and any non sisal material. |
| Oil and softener treatmentPercentage by mass, declared | Batching oil applied before spinning. It is a contract term where the twine is destined for food contact baling or organic certified use. |
Delivery, packing and certification
10 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, with the bale weight and dimensions | Hydraulically pressed bales, wrapped and hooped. Bale weight is standardised on the export certificate. |
| Grading certificateCertificate, with the issuing authority | The licensed grader certificate is the contract document in the East African trade. |
| Fumigation and phytosanitary certificateDeclared, with the certificate | Named where the destination requires it for a plant 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Tanzania | Tanga, Morogoro, Kilimanjaro and Coast | Origin and destination |
| Brazil | Bahia, Paraiba and Rio Grande do Norte | Origin and destination |
| Kenya | Kilifi, Taita Taveta, Machakos and Nakuru | Origin and destination |
| Madagascar | Amboasary and the southern Androy region | Origin and destination |
| China | Guangxi and Hainan | Origin and destination |
| Mexico | Yucatan and Campeche, henequen and related hard fibres | Origin and destination |
| Haiti | the Northwest and Artibonite | Origin and destination |
| Cuba | Guantanamo and Holguin | Origin and destination |
| Angola | Huila and Benguela | Origin and destination |
| Mozambique | Nampula and Cabo Delgado | Origin and destination |
| South Africa | Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal | Origin and destination |
| Venezuela | Lara and Falcon | Origin and destination |
| China | Zhejiang, Shandong and Guangdong, cordage and matting | Destination |
| Portugal | Porto and the cordage cluster | Destination |
| Spain | Catalonia and Valencia | Destination |
| Morocco | Casablanca and Tangier | Destination |
| Nigeria | Lagos and Kano | Destination |
| Saudi Arabia | Riyadh and Jeddah | Destination |
| United States | the Midwest baler twine market and the Southeast carpet cluster | Destination |
| Mexico | Yucatan and Nuevo Leon, cordage | Destination |
| Colombia | Antioquia and Atlantico | Destination |
| Peru | Lima and Trujillo | Destination |
| India | Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Kerala | Destination |
| Bangladesh | Dhaka and Chattogram | Destination |
| Pakistan | Karachi and Punjab | Destination |
| Vietnam | Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong | Destination |
| Indonesia | Java and Sumatra | Destination |
| Germany | Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia | Destination |
| United Kingdom | England, carpet and cordage | Destination |
| Netherlands | Rotterdam and the flooring distribution cluster | Destination |
| Belgium | the Flemish carpet and matting cluster | Destination |
| Turkey | Istanbul and Gaziantep | Destination |
| Australia | New South Wales and Victoria | Destination |
| Egypt | Alexandria and the Delta | Destination |
Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown here.
Timing
Harvest is when the leaf is cut and decorticated at origin. Arrival is when a shipment from that origin typically lands in a consuming market. The gap between them is drying, brushing, grading, baling and the voyage.
HarvestArrival
| Origin | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | Window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tanzania | 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 DecSisal is a perennial and leaves are cut continuously through the year, so there is no crop window in the agricultural sense. The long rains from March to May slow sun drying and tighten the bright, well coloured top grades. |
| Brazil | 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 in the Bahia semi arid belt, with the rains from March to July the soft window for drying and colour. |
| Kenya | 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 DecEstate cutting runs year round, with the long rains from March to May and the short rains in November affecting drying. |
| Madagascar | 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 in the arid south, with the cyclone season from January to March the main interruption to drying and to port operations. |
| China | 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 in Guangxi and Hainan, largely absorbed by the domestic cordage industry. |
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 sisal. 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 Sisal and other agave 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 sisal does SIP Global trade?
We quote 34 published grades of sisal, including Botanical species - Declared, Extraction method - Declared, Processing state - Declared, Cutting cycle - Declared, 3L - Three L and UG - Superior Grade. Every grade is tied to a delivery point and a settlement route. Grades outside the published list are priced on request.
How is sisal graded?
Sisal is contracted on the East African grade ladder, which sorts brushed fibre by length, colour and cleanliness, supported by instrument measurement of strength, moisture and defect. Grading runs on 4 systems: Fibre identity and species, East African grade classification, Physical and mechanical measurement and Delivery, packing and certification.
Where does SIP Global trade sisal?
We trade sisal in Tanzania, Brazil, Kenya, Madagascar, China, Mexico, Haiti and Cuba and 26 further markets. Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown.
When is sisal harvested and when does it arrive?
Typical windows are Tanzania: harvest jan to dec, arrival jan to dec; Brazil: harvest jan to dec, arrival jan to dec; Kenya: harvest jan to dec, arrival jan to dec; Madagascar: harvest jan to dec, arrival jan to dec; China: 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 sisal?
Sisal is normally classified under HS 5305.00 (sisal and other agave 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 sisal?
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 sisal 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.