What is agarwood?

Agarwood is the infected wood (resin) of the Aquilaria or Gyrinops trees. Called the “wood of the Gods”, its uses range from incense for religious ceremonies, perfume, cosmetics, aromatherapy, medicines, sculptures and meditation.

The trees grow in the rainforest from Assam in India, through South East Asia to Papua New Guinea. The tree grows from 15 to 30 metres tall and 60 cms in diameter. Without being infected with agarwood the tree is worthless and is light in weight, with the appearance of balsa wood.

Agarwood is also known as Agar, Agaru, Sasi, Agor, Akyaw, Adlerholz, Calambac, Alim, Eaglewood, Aloeswood, Oud, Ude, Ud, Ood, Gaharu, Tram huong, Kanankoh, Tengkaras, Karas, Chen-xiang, Ch’En Hsiang, Ch’Ing Kuei Hsiang, Huang Shu Hsiang, Agila wood, Jinko, and Jin-koh.

Agarwood is sold in many forms and grades.

• The sculptures have the most value and are considered valuable pieces of art and wealth.
• Chips and flakes are the most common forms of the trade. Only about 10-20% of a large piece of agarwood can be made into this form. Flakes include shavings or pieces that have broken off and are smaller than chips. Depending on the grade, chips and flakes can be very expensive, with prices from US$50-15,000/kg.
• The remainder is sold as powder or used for oil distillation. The powder is less expensive than the chips and flakes, with prices varying from around US$20-60/kg.
• The oil varies significantly in quality and is rarely pure. The major constituents of agarwood oil are sesquiterterpenes, a chemical structure of which makes them very difficult to synthesize. Depending on its quality and purity, the prices range from US$2,000-30,000/kg.
• The waste agarwood powder (after the oil has been extracted) sells for US$5-8/kg.