Damar
Damar is a hard, brittle oleoresin exuded from tapped Shorea and related Dipterocarpaceae trees across Southeast Asia, most commercially from Shorea javanica in Sumatra. Fresh exudate hardens on the bark into translucent to pale-yellow lumps, traditionally hand-sorted by size and clarity into a range of commercial grades from large clear lumps down to small dark pieces and dust. The resin dissolves cleanly in turpentine and other solvents to give a hard, glossy film, making it a long-established raw material for oil and spirit varnishes, printing inks, batik wax-resist formulations, and as a base or fixative in incense; some grades also enter food-contact glaze and confectionery-coating formulations after refining.
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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 damar markets
Each line is a grade at a delivery point. Open one for its full specification and terms.
Price guarantee on damar
If a move in the damar 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 damar and need to know your cost. We fix your purchase price for the quantity and months you name. |
|---|---|
| Selling | You grow, produce or hold damar and need to know your revenue. We fix your sale price ahead of production or shipment. |
| Settlement | Against delivery of the damar. |
A price is fixed only once a trader confirms it in writing. Ask the desk for a fixed price.
Caps and floors on damar
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 damar. 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 damar. 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
Damar is contracted on species and tapping method, on lump size and colour/clarity as sorted by hand at origin, and on the foreign-matter and moisture content that determine how much of a delivered lot is usable resin rather than bark, sand or insect fragments. There is no ISO or other internationally audited grading standard for the traditional size/clarity tiers; they are a trade custom carried through generations of Indonesian collectors and traders, verified today only by visual inspection at the point of sale.
Species and origin as the contracted article
3 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Damar mata kucingShorea javanica | The principal cultivated/agroforestry article, tapped from trees managed in smallholder Repong Damar systems in southern Sumatra. |
| Related Shorea and Hopea speciesDeclared, with the binomial name | Wild-collected resin from other dipterocarp genera across Indonesia and Malaysia yields materially different hardness and colour and is priced apart from Shorea javanica. |
| Tapping methodDeclared | Sustained-yield bark incision on a managed agroforestry tree, as distinct from felling or wild forest collection; drives both continuity of supply and the resin's freshness/colour. |
Lump size and clarity sort
3 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Lump sizeDeclared, largest to smallest | Large whole lumps sort separately from broken pieces and fine dust; buyers contract a stated size band, not a single average. |
| Colour and clarityDeclared, against a retained reference sample | Pale and translucent through amber to dark brown and opaque; matched to a sealed sample rather than scored. |
| CleanlinessDeclared | Free of bark, leaf, sand and insect fragments, or delivered as tapped and unsorted; the difference between paying resin prices for resin and for bark. |
Resin constants
4 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Acid valueMilligrams of potassium hydroxide per gram | Free acid content, by titration. |
| Softening pointDegrees Celsius, ring-and-ball | Determined to ASTM E28 practice; the working number for a varnish or ink formulator. |
| Solvent solubilityPercentage soluble in turpentine or white spirit, by mass | The classical purity and processability test for a varnish-grade oleoresin. |
| Ash contentPercentage by mass, maximum | Mineral residue after incineration, determined to ISO 928 practice. |
Purity and contaminants
4 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| MoisturePercentage by mass, maximum | Determined by oven drying; drives caking and mould risk in storage and transit. |
| Foreign organic matterPercentage by mass, maximum | Bark, leaf, sand and insect fragments, separated by hand and weighed, determined to ISO 927 practice. |
| Acid-insoluble ashPercentage by mass, maximum | The sand and silica fraction, determined to ISO 930 practice; a measure of how the material was collected and stored. |
| Heavy metalsMilligrams per kilogram, maximum | Lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, contracted where the material enters a food-contact or cosmetic use. |
Origin, legality and delivery
5 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Botanical originDeclared, with the binomial species name | The genus alone is not a specification; related species and wild-collected material are priced apart from cultivated Shorea javanica. |
| Cultivated or wild collectedDeclared | Drives availability, permit documentation and traceability to a named agroforestry plot or collection area. |
| Collection and forestry permitDeclared, with the permit reference | Community forestry, agroforestry-plot or NTFP collection documentation travels with the lot from origin. |
| PackingDeclared | Jute or polypropylene bags, or fibre/steel drums for fine or dust grades, with the liner specified. |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | Sumatra, Kalimantan and Java | Origin |
| Malaysia | Sabah and Sarawak | Origin |
| Singapore | Singapore | Destination and re-export hub |
| United Kingdom | London and the South East | Destination |
| United States | California and the East Coast | Destination |
| Germany | Hamburg | Destination |
| France | Paris | Destination |
| India | Mumbai and Kolkata | Destination |
| United Arab Emirates | Dubai | Destination |
| Bangladesh | Dhaka and Chattogram | Destination |
| Pakistan | Karachi | Destination |
| Italy | Milan | Destination |
| China | Guangdong | Destination |
Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown here.
Timing
Harvest is when the resin is tapped and 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 DecTapping of managed Shorea javanica agroforestry trees runs on a continuous rotation year round, with collection and transport thinning somewhat in the wettest months when forest tracks are hardest to work; exact seasonal volume weighting was not confirmed to a specific month band this session and should be re-verified with a named collector before scheduling. |
Windows outside this pattern trade on request, including carry, forward positions and stock already sitting in a destination warehouse.
Common questions
What grades of damar does SIP Global trade?
We quote 19 published grades of damar, including Damar mata kucing - Shorea javanica, Related Shorea and Hopea species - Declared, with the binomial name, Tapping method - Declared, Lump size - Declared, largest to smallest, Colour and clarity - Declared, against a retained reference sample and Cleanliness - Declared. Every grade is tied to a delivery point and a settlement route. Grades outside the published list are priced on request.
How is damar graded?
Damar is contracted on species and tapping method, on lump size and colour/clarity as sorted by hand at origin, and on the foreign-matter and moisture content that determine how much of a delivered lot is usable resin rather than bark, sand or insect fragments. There is no ISO or other internationally audited grading standard for the traditional size/clarity tiers; they are a trade custom carried through generations of Indonesian collectors and traders, verified today only by visual inspection at the point of sale. Grading runs on 5 systems: Species and origin as the contracted article, Lump size and clarity sort, Resin constants, Purity and contaminants and Origin, legality and delivery.
Where does SIP Global trade damar?
We trade damar in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, United Kingdom, United States, Germany, France and India and 5 further markets. Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown.
When is damar harvested and when does it arrive?
Typical windows are Indonesia: 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 damar price ahead?
Yes. SIP Global fixes a damar 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 damar?
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 damar 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.
- ISO (opens in new tab)International Organization for Standardization
- ASTM International (opens in new tab)Materials and test method standards
- 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