Importing coconut charcoal to Germany

Across the markets these guides cover, every recurring account takes a printed inner box or inner plastic packed into a master carton, and every account is private label: our briquette, your brand on the box.

• Packaging formats and master-carton options
• ·
• Private label and white label

This comes from our own order book — the recurring accounts we ship to in this market. It describes what those buyers reorder, not the full range we produce.

Buyers here take the 28 mm cube — the largest size anywhere in that order book.

Every one of those accounts reorders. These are repeat programs, not one-off trial containers.

Order book as of 2026-09-19

Who does what on a container shipment: we export and document; you and your customs broker clear and deliver at destination.

Coconut shell charcoal falls under EU heading 4402. The correct, most specific code is 4402 20 00 00 ("of shells or nuts"); the residual 4402 90 ("other") is a documentary-mismatch risk in the automated ATLAS system. Both carry a Free base duty, so the code does not change the rate — but it must be declared identically on every document. Confirm the exact 11-digit ATLAS code with your customs broker.

Candidate codes:

• 4402 20 00 00

  EU Combined Nomenclature / TARIC "Of shells or nuts" — the most specific subheading for carbonized coconut-shell charcoal. German ATLAS import declarations use the 11-digit code, the first 8 of which are this CN. Base (erga omnes) duty Free.

  Source (opens in new tab)

• 4402 90 00 00

  Residual "Other". Some Indonesian exporters historically declared coconut-shell charcoal here, but in the EU it mis-signals a generic wood-derived product and creates an ATLAS documentary-mismatch risk; General Rule of Interpretation 3(a) gives precedence to the more specific 4402.20. Same Free duty, so the rate does not change.

  Source (opens in new tab)

Note: Declare 4402 20 00 00 ("of shells or nuts") + UN 1361 Class 4.2 identically on every document — commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, and certificate of origin. Persistent use of the residual 4402.90 can trigger the German ATLAS risk-profiling algorithm and a manifest-correction fee even though the duty is identical. Do not declare as 3802 (activated carbon) or 4401 (fuel wood). Confirm the exact 11-digit ATLAS code with your customs broker.

EU customs duty on heading 4402 is a single layer — 0% (Free) MFN, the same for all origins — on top of which German import VAT (Einfuhrumsatzsteuer) is charged. Read the duty as a dated layer with its legal status, and the VAT as a separate recoverable line.

Verified as of the date shown; duties and tariffs change without notice — confirm with your customs broker at booking.

Landed cost is the sum of the goods, the freight, and the import charges. The structure below holds for any lane; the duty and VAT components are public verified figures, while the FOB and freight are illustrative and quoted at booking.

FOB goods value

Illustrative only — your actual FOB applies

Ocean freight + DG surcharges

Quoted on request (indicative)

Duties & import VAT

0% duty + 19% Einfuhrumsatzsteuer (recoverable if VAT-registered)

Landed cost

FOB + freight + duties & import VAT

The formula is shown so you can plug in your own figures. The indicative FOB range per grade is published on the pricing pillar, and the landed-cost page carries this same layer model with a calculator that runs on your own freight quote — both are linked under Related topics below. Live numbers for your order are quoted at booking.

What your incoterm covers (FOB and the freight split)→

EU entry for a UN 1361 container follows the standard pre-arrival-then-declaration sequence, handled by the buyer's customs broker with data we supply.

Step by step:

1. 1

   ICS2 security filing (ENS)

   A pre-arrival Entry Summary Declaration (ENS) is mandatory under ICS2 Release 3, which is live for maritime cargo entering the EU. The vessel-operating carrier files the master-level ENS and the forwarder/NVOCC files the house-level ENS (plain-language goods description, HS6 minimum, consignee EORI). "No MRN, no load" is enforced; ICS1 was fully phased out on 1 September 2025. The filing is the carrier's and forwarder's responsibility — the Indonesian factory supplies the export data they need.

2. 2

   ATLAS import declaration

   The import declaration is filed through the German ATLAS system by the buyer's customs broker under a customs power of attorney, using the 11-digit commodity code and the customs (CIF) value. The buyer needs a valid EU/German EORI; clearance cannot legally proceed without it. German terminals grant Class 4.2 cargo very short free time, so the broker should have the ATLAS entry ready against the arrival notice to avoid demurrage.

The export documents we supply→

The cargo arrives as declared UN 1361, Class 4.2 dangerous goods, and is handled accordingly at Hamburg and Bremerhaven. The classification and the prevention controls are covered on the dangerous-goods pages.

What UN 1361 is · The 2026 rules · Insured arrival & cargo protection

Heading 4402 charcoal is in scope of the EU Deforestation Regulation, so the EU importer files a Due Diligence Statement via TRACES.

This is regulatory information, not legal advice — see the disclaimer below.

EUDR — scope

Heading 4402 wood charcoal (including shell or nut charcoal) is listed in Annex I of the EU Deforestation Regulation (Reg. (EU) 2023/1115), with no carve-out for coconut-shell charcoal, so EUDR applies. Source (opens in new tab)

EUDR — when it applies

Reg. (EU) 2025/2650 moved the date of application to 30 December 2026 for all companies except most micro and small operators, which apply it from 30 June 2027 (30 December 2026 for those already covered by the EU Timber Regulation). The Commission's simplification review of 4 May 2026 (COM(2026) 191) proposed no further amendment to the Regulation's legal text. Source (opens in new tab)

EUDR — who files

The EU importer (the first operator placing the product on the EU market) must submit a Due Diligence Statement (DDS) via the EU Information System (TRACES), demonstrating plot geolocation, deforestation-free status (land not deforested after 31 December 2020) and legality. The factory is working toward supplying the geolocation, legality and traceability evidence the buyer needs to file that DDS. Source (opens in new tab)

EU REACH + CLP

Charcoal is a registrable substance under EU REACH (not an SDS-only product): an EU importer placing more than one tonne per year on the market must either hold its own registration or be covered by the non-EU manufacturer's appointed Only Representative (OR) holding a Letter of Access to the existing joint registration, whose lead registrant is COALSTER GmbH. Two substance identities are in play — generic "Charcoal" (EC 240-383-3, CAS 16291-96-6) and the coconut-shell-specific "Charcoal coconut shell" (EC 271-974-4, CAS 68647-86-9); confirm with the lead registrant / OR which one your tapioca-bound composition registers under. CLP self-heating-substance classification and labelling apply (UN 1361, Class 4.2). Source (opens in new tab)

EUTR (predecessor)

The EU Timber Regulation continues transitionally for certain timber harvested before 29 June 2023 but is superseded by EUDR; coconut shell is an agricultural byproduct rather than timber. Source (opens in new tab)

Production takes about 21 days for a 20-ft container and 21–25 days for a 40-ft; sea transit from Semarang (IDSRG) to Hamburg and Bremerhaven runs about 32–45 days, for an indicative 53–70 days from order to arrival. A first order under a new brand adds 7–10 days to the production stage.

Class 4.2 dangerous-goods bookings need extra lead time, so book early. The SP 978 weathering window (at least 14 days) is part of our production and packing schedule, not added on top of it when the order is planned ahead.

Indicative only — subject to vessel schedule and booking confirmation, and never a guaranteed arrival date.

Indicative ocean transit from Semarang (IDSRG) to the main German gateways:

• Hamburg, Germany (DEHAM): about 32–45 days.
• Bremerhaven, Germany (DEBRV): about 32–45 days.

Indicative; varies by line and season. Last updated 2026-06-23.