As of 2026, a 20ft container of premium shisha-grade coconut charcoal briquettes (ash ≤2.5%) runs roughly USD 22,500–27,000 FOB Indonesian port — about 18 MT at USD 1,250–1,500 per metric ton. Standard shisha grade loads at USD 1,000–1,250/MT, BBQ coconut-hardwood blends at USD 700–1,000/MT. Prices are subject to change; only a written quotation binds.
Indonesia is the dominant global origin for coconut-shell charcoal, which makes Indonesian container math the benchmark for the whole category. This page breaks a container down the way a buyer’s finance team would: per-grade value at today’s FOB band, a load calculator for your carton weight, the line items an honest FOB quote must itemize, and the exact steps from calculator output to a binding quotation in 24 business hours.
How much does a container of coconut charcoal briquettes cost in 2026?
Container value is simple multiplication: tonnage × grade price. The site-wide minimum order is one 20ft container, roughly 17.5–18 MT depending on carton weight. At the 2026 FOB band, that gives the following indicative values out of an Indonesian port:
| Grade | Ash content | FOB price per MT (as of 2026) | Indicative 20ft value (18 MT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium shisha | ≤2.5% | USD 1,250–1,500 | USD 22,500–27,000 |
| Standard shisha | 2.5–3.0% | USD 1,000–1,250 | USD 18,000–22,500 |
| BBQ coconut-hardwood blend | Grade A–C, 5–16%+ | USD 700–1,000 | USD 12,600–18,000 |
| Private-label packaging | — | up to +USD 250 | up to +USD 4,500 |
Published exporter quotes anchor this band from three directions: USD 1,340/MT FOB for a specified briquette, USD 700/MT FOB for a blend specified at 7% moisture, 70% fixed carbon, 7,200 kcal/kg and an 8-hour burn, and USD 1,000/MT EXW quoted in 2024 for 100% coconut shisha briquettes at a 17.5-ton MOQ. A quote sitting far below the band usually hides something — higher ash, wetter cargo, or thinner master cartons. Ask for the Certificate of Analysis before you discuss the discount.
How many cartons and tons fit in a 20ft or 40ft container?
Coconut charcoal briquettes are weight-limited cargo, not volume-limited. A 20ft box typically closes at about 18 MT, and shisha-carton loads bottom out near the 17.5 MT MOQ. A 40ft container adds plenty of cubic space but is capped by road and carrier weight rules long before the volume fills, so it does not double the payload — treat around 26 MT as an indicative ceiling and confirm the exact limit with your carrier and trucking lane.
Enter your carton weight and grade below. The calculator returns cartons per container, net tonnage, and the indicative FOB value at the 2026 band, then pre-fills a “price my container” message for the desk.
Container load calculator
Indicative only, at the 2026 FOB band, subject to change. MOQ: one 20ft container (~17.5–18 MT). Only a written quotation binds.
What line items sit inside the FOB price?
FOB means the price covers everything up to the cargo loaded on board at the Indonesian port. A serious quote itemizes each piece rather than quoting one blended number:
| Line item | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Goods | Graded briquettes ex-mill, specified against the per-lot Certificate of Analysis |
| Export packaging | Inner boxes, master cartons, palletizing to export packaging that meets buyer and destination requirements, the Indonesian standard governing coconut charcoal export packaging |
| Documents | Certificate of Origin (Form A or Form D by destination), PEB export declaration, commercial invoice, packing list |
| Fumigation | Fumigation certificate for the container |
| Phytosanitary | Certificate where the destination market requires it |
| Self-Heating Test (SHT) | Lab report proving the cargo is not self-flammable — carriers and insurers ask for it before accepting charcoal under HS code 4402.90 |
| COA | Per-export-lot analysis from an Indonesian-accredited laboratory: ash, moisture, calorific value, fixed carbon, volatile matter, burn time |
| Trucking | Mill to port of loading, plus handling to on-board |
Main loading ports are Tanjung Priok (Jakarta), Tanjung Perak (Surabaya) and Semarang; Benoa serves Bali loading and buyer inspection visits. Beyond FOB, the buyer carries ocean freight, marine insurance and destination charges into gateways such as Jebel Ali, Dammam and Doha in the Gulf, Rotterdam, Hamburg and Piraeus in the EU, or NY-NJ, Los Angeles and Houston in the US — freight moves with the market, so we keep it out of the goods price rather than padding it in.
One EU-specific cost note: coconut is not among the seven EUDR commodities (cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya, wood). Coconut-shell charcoal therefore enters the EU with no EUDR due-diligence burden (coconut is not among the EUDR’s seven regulated commodities; confirm current applicability with your EU customs broker) as of 2026 — a paperwork and compliance-cost edge over wood charcoal that grows heavier for wood as enforcement tightens into 2027.
How does pricing a container work, step by step?
- Send your load. Use the calculator above and tap “price my container”, or send carton weight, grade and destination port in your own words.
- Receive a written quote in 24 business hours. Per-grade FOB breakdown following the line items above, with the current lot’s COA attached.
- Verify before you commit. Check the COA’s lab stamp and test date; a buyer inspection visit at Benoa or the partner mill can be arranged before deposit.
- Documents and loading. PEB filing, Certificate of Origin, fumigation, SHT report and packing list handled against the confirmed schedule.
- Sail. Bill of lading and full document set transmitted; the desk stays on the file until the container clears your port.
> Price my container. Coconut Charcoal Export is a verified-supplier desk operated by Coconut Charcoal Export — we broker graded Indonesian mill output against per-lot COAs; we do not own a factory and never claim to. Send your calculator output to the concierge desk through the quote form at and a written FOB quotation comes back within 24 business hours. All figures on this page are as of 2026 and subject to change.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a full 20ft container of shisha charcoal cost in 2026?
At the 2026 FOB band, a 20ft container loading 18 MT of premium shisha grade (ash ≤2.5%) runs about USD 22,500–27,000 out of an Indonesian port; standard shisha grade lands at USD 18,000–22,500. Private-label packaging can add up to USD 4,500 per container. Figures are indicative and subject to change — only a written quotation binds.
How many cartons of coconut charcoal briquettes fit in a 20ft container?
Divide the payload by your carton weight: at 10 kg net cartons, a 20ft box holds about 1,750–1,800 cartons for 17.5–18 MT. Briquettes hit the container’s weight ceiling before its volume fills, so heavier cartons mean fewer boxes, not more tonnage. The calculator on this page runs the math for any carton weight.
Does a 40ft container lower the cost per metric ton?
Rarely by much. The goods price is quoted per MT, so it does not move with box size, and a 40ft is weight-capped near 26 MT rather than doubling an 18 MT 20ft load. You spread fixed costs — documents, fumigation, SHT — over more tons, which trims a little. Most first orders ship as a single 20ft.
Which costs come on top of the FOB goods price?
Within FOB you should see packaging, export documents, fumigation, the SHT report, per-lot COA and trucking to the loading port already itemized. On top of FOB, the buyer pays ocean freight, marine insurance, destination terminal charges and any import duty in the destination market. Freight is market-priced, so insist on it being quoted separately, dated.