**To get an accurate patchouli oil quote, tell your supplier five things in one message: your target PA (patchouli alcohol) percentage, the maximum acid value you accept, the grade family — Dark, Light, Iron-free, or MD — the documents you need, and your MOQ with drum size. Vague requests get vague prices.**
Indonesia produces the vast majority of the world’s patchouli (nilam) oil — cited across industry sources between 80% and 80-90% of global supply — so most bulk buyers are ultimately sourcing Pogostemon cablin (CAS 8014-09-3, FEMA 2838) from Aceh, North Sumatra, Sulawesi or Java. The catch: two drums both labelled “patchouli oil” can differ by 30% in price because of one number. That number is PA. Brief it well and the quote lands in a day; brief it loosely and you invite guesswork, re-sampling and delay.
Why does PA% decide almost everything in your quote?
Patchoulol — patchouli alcohol, the “PA” on every spec sheet — is the fixative-heavy molecule perfumers pay for. Indonesian oil typically runs 28-34% PA, and catalogues often describe it at 30-40%. The higher the guaranteed minimum PA, the higher the price band, because reaching above 35% usually means extra processing (molecular distillation) or exceptional raw material.
State PA as a guaranteed minimum, not a wish. “Min 32% PA by GC-MS” is a specification a supplier can quote and test against. “High PA” is not. Here is the canonical price logic most Indonesian desks work from (FOB indicative per 2026; it moves with harvest and PA content, and a final quote confirms grade, PA%, documents and MOQ):
| PA (patchoulol) band | Typical grade | FOB indicative 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Under 30% | Standard commercial | USD 35-55 / kg |
| 30-35% | Commercial premium | USD 45-90 / kg |
| Above 35% / iron-free / MD / organic | Fine-fragrance grade | USD 100-200 / kg |
One more thing to price in: scarcity. A failed harvest can push even 30-32% PA material toward roughly USD 100-130/kg, so lock your minimum PA and quantity early rather than assuming last season’s number. Any serious patchouli oil wholesale desk will turn your enquiry around faster when your brief already fixes the PA floor.
What acid value should you specify, and why does it matter?
Acid value is the quiet spec that separates a stable oil from one that drifts. Lower is better for shelf life. Published Sumatra grades commonly quote PA 30-32 with an acid value of 4-6; Sulawesi grades quote PA around 30 with acid value 8-10. An acid value under 8 is widely cited as indicating excellent storage stability — useful when you are contracting months ahead.
If your product sits in inventory or ships long-haul, write a maximum acid value into the brief (for example, “acid value < 8"). It tells the supplier which origin and which distillation run can serve you, and it prevents an awkward retest after the oil has already crossed an ocean.
How do you choose between Dark, Light, Iron-free and MD?
Grade family is a separate axis from PA%. You specify both. The four families you will see in Indonesian catalogues (for example the Indonesian exporters’ range published 2022-2025) map roughly like this:
- Dark — classic steam-distilled oil, deep colour, full woody-balsamic body. SKUs such as Sumatra Dark Premium (Min 34 PA) and Sumatra Dark (Min 32 PA) sit here.
- Light — a lighter-coloured oil for formulations where patchouli must not darken the base.
- Iron-free — steam distillation followed by de-ironization, so the oil does not react with metal ions in a finished product; Sumatra Iron Free (Min 32 PA) is a typical line.
- MD (molecularly distilled) — steam distillation then molecular distillation for a cleaner, paler, higher-PA oil; Sumatra MD (Min 32 PA) and Sulawesi MD (Min 30 PA) are examples.
Tell the supplier the family by name and the reason (“iron-free, because it goes into a metal-packaged cosmetic”). That single sentence often narrows a catalogue of a dozen SKUs to the two that actually fit you.
Which documents should you ask for up front?
Documents turn a claim into a verifiable fact. Keep the honesty rule that protects you too: any specific figure — PA%, specific gravity, refractive index, optical rotation — is only real when it comes from an actual batch COA or GC-MS, not a marketing sheet. Ask for the paperwork before you commit.
| Document | What it confirms | When to insist |
|---|---|---|
| COA (with PA%) | Batch identity, measured PA, acid value | Every order |
| GC-MS report | Full component breakdown, adulteration check | Every fine-fragrance order |
| TDS / SDS (MSDS) | Handling, physical data, safety | Every order |
| Certificate of Origin | Aceh / Sumatra / Sulawesi provenance | Origin-sensitive buyers |
| REACH-style dossier | CAS 8014-09-3 documentation for import | EU buyers |
| Kosher / Halal / COSMOS / FSSC 22000 | Certified supply chains | Only if your brand requires them |
EU buyers in particular should name CAS 8014-09-3 and REACH-style documentation in the brief. And if you are contracting for long-term supply, ask about retest and best-before dates — published Indonesian COAs have shown retest dates as far out as April 2027, which matters when you are planning a year ahead.
How should you state MOQ, drums and delivery?
There is no single official MOQ published for Indonesian patchouli oil; bulk simply trades in drums. Standard export drums run about 180-200 kg, some trade postings cite ~25 kg drums, and typical MOQ lands between 100 and 1,000 kg. So state your quantity in a way that maps to whole drums, plus your delivery term and port.
Use a short structured brief like this:
- Quantity: e.g. 200 kg (one export drum) or 500 kg
- Grade + PA floor: e.g. Sumatra MD, min 32% PA by GC-MS
- Acid value: e.g. < 8
- Documents: COA, GC-MS, SDS, Certificate of Origin
- Incoterm + port: e.g. FOB Belawan (Surabaya and Makassar are the other main patchouli export ports)
- Timeline: required in-hand date, plus whether it is a one-off or recurring contract
Send those six lines and you have given a supplier everything needed to price without a second email. That is the whole point of specifying well: you compress a week of back-and-forth into one accurate quote.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I state a minimum PA or a PA range when I brief a supplier?
State a guaranteed minimum, such as “min 32% PA by GC-MS”. Indonesian oil naturally varies 28-34% batch to batch, so a minimum tells the supplier the floor they must certify and test against. A range invites the low end; a firm minimum protects your formulation and gives you a clean basis to reject an under-spec batch.
What if the delivered batch tests below the PA I specified?
That is exactly why you put PA in writing and require a batch COA plus GC-MS. Agree up front, before payment, what happens on a shortfall — re-test at an independent lab, price adjustment, or rejection. No honest supplier can guarantee a fixed PA sight-unseen, so the COA against your written minimum is your anchor, not a verbal assurance.
Do I need to specify iron-free if I only care about the PA percentage?
Yes, if your oil touches metal. Iron-free is a processing choice separate from PA%: de-ironized oil resists discolouration and reactions in metal-packaged or metal-ion-sensitive products. You can order min 32% PA as Dark or as Iron-free — same PA, different behaviour. If packaging or formulation involves metal, name iron-free explicitly rather than assuming a high-PA oil covers it.