Coconut Shell Charcoal Specifications: Why Figures Differ

If you are reading coconut shell charcoal specifications to pick a maker, you will find plenty of tables: fixed carbon this much, ash that much, calorific value so many. The trouble is that figures from two different pages often cannot be set side by side. This note shows what several makers print, then explains why a coconut briquette spec sheet should not decide your choice on its own.

Disclosure: this site is published by PT Kora Prima Abadi, one of the producers it discusses. Every figure below is a claim printed on the maker’s own page, read on 22 Oct 2026. They are not our test results, not a ranking, and not a statement of who is better.

What makers print

Maker	Fixed carbon	Ash	Moisture	What it says about method
Kora, grade A	min 75%	max 2.5%	max 5%	not stated
PT Coco Total Karbon Indonesia	75-80% (all grades)	1.6-1.9% (Platinum); 1.9-2.2% (Super Premium)	6-8%	names several laboratories, no report numbers
Grand Royal Coco, hex BBQ with hole	75-85%	6-10%	max 6%	not stated

Some pages print limits (“min”, “max”) and some print ranges. An ash limit of 2.5% and an ash range of 1.6-1.9% are two different kinds of statement. Grand Royal prints ash of 6-10% because its product is a long BBQ stick, not a shisha cube.

Why coconut shell charcoal specifications are not like for like

1. Limit or result. A limit is a threshold; a range describes what was obtained. You cannot subtract one from the other.
2. Basis. According to a standards-catalogue summary we read (not the ISO page itself), moisture is reported against the sample as received, while ash and volatile matter are often reported dry. Makers rarely say which basis they use.
3. Fixed carbon is calculated. The ASTM store page for D3172 says moisture, volatile matter and ash are measured and fixed carbon is calculated from them. If ash or volatiles move with the method, fixed carbon moves too.
4. Ash temperature. Our search summary of the ISO ash standard names 550 degrees C as the baseline and allows other temperatures if stated. Results at different temperatures can differ. This is secondary reading, so treat it as a reason to ask, not as settled fact.
5. Calorific units. Some pages print units that are odd for charcoal, such as kcal/cm2 or kJ/kg, which cannot be set directly beside kcal/kg figures. That is why calorific values are left out of the table.
6. Shape and tier. The Coconut Company prints three tiers of BBQ briquette on its page: the Standard tier shows ash of 25-30%, the Premium tier 8-10%. One brand can sit far apart from itself.

Two other Indonesian pages carry nearly identical blocks of numbers (fixed carbon 75-80%, volatile matter 12-14%). Reading both is not the same as two independent confirmations. Venus Starch (India) writes on its page that its figures are measured at pre-shipment inspection and may vary with climate and storage. That is useful honesty: a brochure figure is not your lot’s figure.

Coconut briquettes vs charcoal: the limits are not the same

Lump shell charcoal and briquettes are specified differently, so do not mix their tables. Lump figures belong beside lump figures only. Whether a kitchen should buy one form or the other is a different question; this note is only about reading the numbers.

What you must not conclude

• That a lower printed ash figure means less ash on your grill.
• That Kora’s grade A is lab tested. The report Kora shows (July 2026) is for grade B samples only, and the page does not state its method.
• That any product “meets” SNI, EN or ISO. The pages we read show no certificate we could open. SNI 01-6235-2000 is titled wood charcoal briquettes and we have not read its limits from an official source.
• That burn times compare. Pages print from 90 minutes per unit (Kora, minimum) to 10-12 hours (Grand Royal, hex stick 5-20 cm). The shapes differ and no method is cited.

A note on standards

For Europe, EN 1860-2 is the name that comes up. A 2025 paper in Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery says the 2023 edition sets limits such as moisture below 8%. The standard itself is paywalled and we have not read it, and another reading of the same page gave a different ash figure. DIN Media records that the 2005 edition and DIN 51749 are withdrawn. So ask which standard your buyer requires and get that text.

How to check briquette quality in practice

1. Get each figure with its method, basis (as received or dry) and date.
2. Get the laboratory name, report number and the lot tested.
3. Compare printed figures against the report, not against another maker’s page.
4. Burn the sample twice on your own equipment, as in signing off a briquette sample in writing.
5. Write the figures you hold on the approval sheet before production.

That way you judge the briquettes on evidence, not on who prints the neatest table. If you are heading overseas, read how to export coconut charcoal briquettes and the checklist for choosing a maker.

If you want to ask Kora

Kora is one producer you can ask. Read the private label briquette page first, then send your shape, volume and quality limits through the contact page. Ask for answers in writing, including whether a laboratory report for your chosen grade can be arranged.