Copra
Copra is the dried kernel (meat) of the coconut, split from the shell and cured by sun or kiln drying until its moisture content is low enough for storage and transport without spoiling. It is not a finished product: it is the raw feedstock that an oil mill presses or solvent-extracts into crude coconut oil, leaving copra meal or cake behind as an animal-feed byproduct. It is traded as loose or bagged dried kernel pieces, off-white to light brown in colour, with a strong coconut oil aroma. Quality is set by moisture, extractable oil content, and free fatty acid, because high moisture or FFA both cut recoverable oil and raise mould and aflatoxin risk in storage and transit.
Start the deal with our desk
Choose the deal you want. A trader on our desk picks it up directly, no signup required.
Nothing here matches what you are holding? Send it anyway. The sheets cover the markets we publish, not the limit of what the desk will look at.
Listed copra markets
Each line is a grade at a delivery point. Open one for its full specification and terms.
Price guarantee on copra
If a move in the copra 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 copra and need to know your cost. We fix your purchase price for the quantity and months you name. |
|---|---|
| Selling | You grow, produce or hold copra and need to know your revenue. We fix your sale price ahead of production or shipment. |
| Settlement | Against delivery of the copra. |
A price is fixed only once a trader confirms it in writing. Ask the desk for a fixed price.
Caps and floors on copra
A fixed price binds buyer and seller. 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 copra. If the market is above the cap when you buy, you pay the cap. If it is below, you buy at the market price and let the cap lapse. |
|---|---|
| Floor | For sellers. A guaranteed minimum price for copra. If the market is below the floor when you sell, you receive the floor. 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 cap or floor, 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
A drawn and sealed sample is assayed for three physical measurements: moisture content by oven-drying loss, extractable oil content by solvent extraction (Soxhlet) or NMR, and free fatty acid content (expressed as percent oleic acid) by titration of the extracted oil. All three move together in practice: wetter copra carries lower recoverable oil and higher FFA from hydrolytic and microbial spoilage.
Milling copra grade
3 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| PNS1Grade 1 | moisture 6.0-7.9%, oil content minimum 62%, FFA maximum 0.5% |
| PNS2Grade 2 | moisture 8.0-10.9%, oil content minimum 60%, FFA maximum 4.0% |
| PNS3Grade 3 | moisture 11.0-13.9%, oil content minimum 58%, FFA maximum 5.0% |
Grades outside this list trade on request.
Locations
| Country | Region | We trade it as |
|---|---|---|
| Philippines | Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao | Origin and destination |
| Indonesia | Sumatra, Sulawesi, Java | Origin and destination |
| India | Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka | Origin and destination |
| Bangladesh | national | Destination |
| United Arab Emirates | national | Destination |
| United States | national | Destination |
Locations outside this list trade on request.
Timing
The coconut palm bears fruit year-round on a roughly two to three month per-tree harvest cycle, so copra has no single hard annual season the way a row crop does; nuts must mature ten to thirteen months on the tree before they carry full oil content for copra. Arrival timing follows the buyer's ocean freight transit time from the loading port rather than a fixed shipping season.
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 DecYear-round harvest with a documented August-October national volume peak as mid-year growth comes off the trees. |
| 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 DecYear-round harvest across the archipelago, no single national closed season. |
| India | 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 harvest in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, with copra-making concentrated in the drier months when sun-drying is reliable. |
Windows outside the pattern below trade on request.
Common questions
What grades of copra does SIP Global trade?
We quote 3 published grades of copra, including PNS1 - Grade 1, PNS2 - Grade 2 and PNS3 - Grade 3. Every grade is tied to a delivery point and a settlement route. Grades outside the published list are priced on request.
How is copra graded?
A drawn and sealed sample is assayed for three physical measurements: moisture content by oven-drying loss, extractable oil content by solvent extraction (Soxhlet) or NMR, and free fatty acid content (expressed as percent oleic acid) by titration of the extracted oil. All three move together in practice: wetter copra carries lower recoverable oil and higher FFA from hydrolytic and microbial spoilage. Grading runs on 1 system: Milling copra grade.
Where does SIP Global trade copra?
We trade copra in Philippines, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates and United States. Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown.
When is copra harvested and when does it arrive?
Typical windows are Philippines: harvest jan to dec, arrival jan to dec; Indonesia: harvest jan to dec, arrival jan to dec; India: 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.
Can I fix a copra price ahead?
Yes. SIP Global fixes a copra price ahead for buyers and for sellers, as a price guarantee. Send the grade, the quantity and the months you need covered. We settle against delivery, and a price is fixed only once a trader confirms it in writing.
How do I get a price for copra?
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. 5 listed copra markets are published on this page, each with its full specification and terms. We buy and sell the physical cargo, 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