This page is part of the pricing pillar and covers the commercial terms behind a quote. The step-by-step sequence of placing an order lives in the ordering guide; this page is what you need before you get that far.
Quick answer
What are the minimum order and payment terms for shisha charcoal?
Minimum order is one full container: the price list is built on 18 tons, and a 20ft holds 18.5–19.75 tons with inner boxes. Payment is 50% deposit, balance against the bill of lading copy, no later than one week after the vessel departs; L/Cs at sight are accepted. The price locks when the deposit clears; a written quote holds 3 days.
Order shape and terms at a glance
MOQ (minimum order quantity) here is one full container, because coconut shell charcoal ships as UN 1361 Class 4.2 dangerous goods and carriers do not accept it as part-container groupage.
- Minimum order
- 18 tons (one 20ft container)
- Payment
- 50% deposit, balance against the bill of lading copy, no later than one week after the vessel departs
- Letter of credit
- At sight, from first-grade banks
- Invoice currencies
- USD, EUR, CNY
- Written quote valid
- 3 days
- Deposit to ready-to-load
- 20ft about 21 days, 40ft 21–25 days
1. What fits in a container
The price list is built on a minimum of 18 tons. A container holds more than that, and how much more depends on the shape and the packaging: extruded shapes take up more room per kilogram than standard cubes, and inner boxes take up more room than bulk.
| Shapes | 20ft container — With inner boxes | 20ft container — Bulk | 40ft container — With inner boxes | 40ft container — Bulk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cube 25, 26, 27, 28 mm | 19.75 | 20 | 25.5 | 27 |
| hexagonal, finger (stix), flat, cube 22 mm | 18.5 | 19.5 | 25.5 | 27 |
Metric tonnes of charcoal, excluding packaging weight. These are what physically loads; the price list is built on the minimum order, which is lower.
- 20 ft standard
- Internal floor 5,900 × 2,352 mm — typical, varies by carrier and box
- Floor-stuffed cartons
- 40 ft high cube
- Internal floor 12,032 × 2,350 mm — typical, varies by carrier and box
- Top row: floor-stuffed cartons
- Bottom row: palletized cartons
Carton grid: schematic — not a stowage plan.
Important
Why there is no part-container option
Shipping lines do not accept shisha charcoal as LCL — less than container load — because Class 4.2 cargo ships under a single bill of lading and a single dangerous-goods declaration. In principle we can produce two tons; in practice you would pay to move an almost-empty container, and the per-ton transport cost makes it pointless. The full-container minimum is a carrier constraint, not a sales policy.
Mixing shapes and grades in one container
One container can carry any combination of our shapes and grades, from two tons per size. Buyers building a multi-SKU retail line off a single shipment do this routinely. The packing list itemises each shape, size, grade and box type, and mixing does not change the per-ton price of each line.
2. Payment terms
Terms are 50% deposit and 50% balance. The deposit triggers production and material allocation. The balance falls due against the bill of lading copy, no later than one week after the vessel departs.
Why "against the B/L" rather than "before loading"
The difference matters if you are wiring a five-figure deposit to a factory you have not met. A bill of lading is issued once the goods are on board, so settling against the B/L copy means you are paying the balance against documentary proof that your cargo shipped — not against a promise that it is about to. It is the ordinary protection in this trade, and it is the term we work on.
Letters of credit
Letters of credit at sight are accepted from first-grade banks.
Invoice currencies
We invoice in USD, EUR, CNY.
Terms after the first order
Terms for returning buyers are discussed individually — there is usually room to help with cash flow once a shipping history exists. Ask when you re-order rather than assuming the first-order structure is permanent.
Bank details
Our account details are published rather than held back, so you can verify who you are dealing with before any money moves. They live in one place on the contact page; this page does not repeat them.
3. How long a price holds
A written quote is valid 3 days. Prices are quoted in USD and fixed against the rupiah at the rate on the date the proforma invoice is issued, so a quote is a snapshot of an exchange rate as much as of a shell price.
A new quote is issued when either of these moves:
- a change in the raw shell price
- a move in the USD/IDR rate
Price lock on deposit
Once your deposit is paid, the quoted price is fixed for that order. A short validity window and a firm lock on deposit are the same policy seen from two sides: we will not hold a price against a moving rate, and we will not move a price you have already committed to.
4. Volume and annual contracts
Volume pricing exists. The thresholds where it starts are:
- a single order of 100 tons or more
- a contract for 12 containers a year
The reduction itself is agreed per order rather than published. It depends on the grade, the packaging tier and how the shipments are scheduled across the year, so a single published percentage would be a figure we could not apply consistently. Ask against a specific plan and you will get a specific answer.
Annual contracts
An annual contract is offered, with a price-lock window agreed per contract.
5. Lead time from deposit to loading
A 20ft container runs about 21 days from cleared deposit to ready-to-load; a 40ft runs 21–25 days. Charcoal production is a small part of that: the packaging print run is the long pole, and it runs in parallel with production rather than after it. A first order for a new brand adds 7–10 days for the artwork and proof cycle.
Caution
Peak periods
Production lead time extends by 10–20 days at the end of Ramadan and at the end of the calendar year. Plan a shipment that has to land in those windows a month earlier than you otherwise would.