Carnauba
Natural exudate wax scraped from the leaves of the carnauba palm (Copernicia prunifera), native to and commercially harvested almost exclusively in the semi-arid interior of Brazil's Northeast, principally Piaui, Ceara, Rio Grande do Norte and Maranhao. Harvesters cut young unopened leaves, sun-dry them, and beat or scrape the surface to release a fine powder of hard wax, sold in that raw powder/flake form as the feedstock that refiners melt, filter and grade into the internationally traded T1-T4 and Amerwax type sorts used in cosmetics, food glazing, pharmaceutical coating, polishes and electronics.
Listed carnauba markets
Each line is a grade at a delivery point. Open one for its full specification and terms.
Hedging carnauba
If a move in the carnauba price would hurt you, fix the price now. We agree it today for the months you name, and it holds whatever the market does in between.
| Buying | You use or resell carnauba and need to know your cost. We fix your purchase price for the quantity and months you name. |
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| Selling | You grow, produce or hold carnauba and need to know your revenue. We fix your sale price ahead of production or shipment. |
| Settlement | With delivery of the carnauba, or in cash against an agreed reference with nothing moving. |
A price is fixed only once a trader confirms it in writing. Ask the desk for a fixed price.
Caps and floors on carnauba
A fixed price binds both sides. A cap or a floor is a guaranteed price on one side only. You pay a fee up front for it, and it is a right, not an obligation: you use it only if the market moves against you.
| Cap | For buyers. A guaranteed maximum price for carnauba. If the market is above the cap when you buy, you pay the cap and we cover the difference. If it is below, you buy at the market price and let the cap lapse. |
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| Floor | For sellers. A guaranteed minimum price for carnauba. If the market is below the floor when you sell, you receive the floor and we cover the difference. If it is above, you sell at the market price and let the floor lapse. |
| Fee | Agreed and paid up front. It is the whole cost of the protection, and it is not refunded if the cap or floor goes unused. |
A cap or a floor is in place only once a trader confirms it in writing. Ask the desk for a cap or a floor.
Grades
Colour, purity/impurity content and moisture at first purchase of the raw powder, ahead of refiner melt-filter processing and Amerwax/type classification; purity and identity of refined wax verified against the USP/NF and FCC monographs by melting range, acid value, saponification value and related physicochemical tests.
USP-NF Carnauba Wax Monograph
1 grade
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| USP-NFPharmacopeial-grade refined carnauba wax | Melting range approximately 80-86 degrees C; acid value approximately 2-7 mg KOH/g; saponification value approximately 78-95 mg KOH/g; used as the reference identity/purity test for food, pharma and cosmetic grades |
Traditional trade type sort
2 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| T1-T4Refined type grades | Descending colour/purity tiers from palest, purest T1 to darker, less-refined T4; assigned after melt-filter refining, not at raw powder first purchase |
| RAWPORaw powder/flakes (po/palha) | Unrefined wax as scraped and sun-dried by the harvester, prior to any melt-filtration or type sort; graded informally by colour, visible impurity and moisture only |
There is no shared trading-desk grade standard applied at the point of first purchase from harvesters; grading tightens only once the wax enters refiner hands. Pharmacopeial specification is the closest thing to an objective purity gate for buyers of refined material.
Locations
| Country | Region | We trade it as |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | Piaui, especially the Carnaubais/Litoral and river-valley municipalities | Origin |
| Brazil | Ceara | Origin |
| United States | national | Destination |
| Germany | national | Destination |
| Japan | national | Destination |
Commercial carnauba palm stands are concentrated in Brazil's semi-arid Northeast; Piaui, Ceara, Rio Grande do Norte and Maranhao together account for essentially all world supply, with the palm's native range not commercially exploited elsewhere at scale.
Timing
Leaf-cutting and wax collection follow the Northeast Brazil dry season, when leaves are driest and wax yield is highest; wet-season leaves yield little usable wax.
HarvestArrival
| Origin | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | Window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Aug to Dec, arrival Oct to FebPeak dry-season cutting runs roughly August through December; refiners and exporters hold stock and process/ship into the following months, so arrival windows extend past the harvest months. |
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Common questions
What grades of carnauba does SIP Global trade?
We quote 3 published grades of carnauba, including USP-NF - Pharmacopeial-grade refined carnauba wax, T1-T4 - Refined type grades and RAWPO - Raw powder/flakes (po/palha). Every grade is tied to a delivery point and a settlement route. Grades outside the published list are priced on request.
How is carnauba graded?
Colour, purity/impurity content and moisture at first purchase of the raw powder, ahead of refiner melt-filter processing and Amerwax/type classification; purity and identity of refined wax verified against the USP/NF and FCC monographs by melting range, acid value, saponification value and related physicochemical tests. Grading runs on 2 systems: USP-NF Carnauba Wax Monograph and Traditional trade type sort.
Where does SIP Global trade carnauba?
We trade carnauba in Brazil, Brazil, United States, Germany and Japan. Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown.
When is carnauba harvested and when does it arrive?
Typical windows are Brazil: harvest aug to dec, arrival oct to feb. 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.
Can I hedge carnauba prices?
Yes. SIP Global fixes a carnauba price ahead for buyers and for sellers, which is what a hedge, or a price guarantee, comes down to. Send the grade, the quantity and the months you need covered. We settle with delivery or in cash, and a price is fixed only once a trader confirms it in writing.
How do I get a price for carnauba?
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. 4 listed carnauba 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 Comtrade (opens in new tab)Official international trade statistics by HS code
- ITC Trade Map (opens in new tab)Bilateral trade flows and tariff data
- FAOSTAT (opens in new tab)FAO 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.