Coconut Shell Charcoal HS Code and Export Paperwork

This question comes up on every first shipment, and the answer is simpler than expected — until you realise that detail below six digits differs by country.

The heading: 4402

The Harmonized System places wood charcoal under heading 4402, whose text covers wood charcoal including shell or nut charcoal, whether or not agglomerated.

That phrase "including shell or nut charcoal" matters: it means coconut shell charcoal is not a coconut product for tariff purposes, it is charcoal. Filing it under the coconut chapter is a recurring and expensive error.

"Whether or not agglomerated" matters too: briquettes — charcoal compacted with a binder — stay in the same heading as loose charcoal.

The subheading: 4402.20 — not 4402.90

Under 4402, shell charcoal sits in subheading 4402.20 — the text reads "of shells or nuts". Those six digits are the internationally common part. Subheading 4402.90 is "other" and is not where coconut shell charcoal belongs; filing it there is a frequent and costly error.

In Indonesia: 44022010, and why there are two codes

Until 2021 Indonesia used a single code for coconut charcoal, 44029010. Since 2022 it has been split in two:

• 44022010 — charcoal from coconut shell
• 44029010 — other coconut charcoal

The split matters if you compare export figures across years: numbers before and after 2022 are not like for like. Exports under 44022010 were 155.73 thousand tonnes in 2022, 191.17 thousand tonnes in 2023, and 203.01 thousand tonnes in 2024 — three consecutive years of growth. Source: Outlook Komoditas Kelapa 2025, Centre for Agricultural Data and Information Systems, Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture.

Below six digits, the rules are national. Indonesia, the UAE, the European Union and the United States each extend the code with their own detail. So do not copy an eight- or ten-digit code from one country's shipping documents into another's — confirm it with your buyer and the destination customs authority.

The documents that normally travel with it

• Commercial invoice and packing list
• Bill of Lading from the carrier
• Certificate of Origin — often decides preferential duty
• Laboratory test report — not a customs requirement, but almost always requested by the buyer
• Additional documents as the destination country requires

We do not publish a list of the certificates we hold here, because requirements differ by country and by buyer — it is more useful to discuss them directly for your destination.

Two things that are often missed

Net weight versus gross weight. The difference must be consistent across the packing list, invoice and Bill of Lading. A small mismatch can hold a container.

The goods description must match the code. Writing "charcoal briquette" on the documents while the code points to loose charcoal invites inspection.

See also how to export coconut charcoal from Indonesia and export documents for the Middle East.

We supply buyers in seven countries from three production sites in Bogor, with briquette capacity of 50+ tonnes per month and charcoal and biochar up to 90 tonnes per month. Talk to our team to discuss your requirement and request samples with the accompanying test report.