Sandalwood: Homes, Chips, Logs, Powder & Oil, Origins, Grades & Prices

CHIPS, LOGS, POWDER & OIL

Sandalwood we species offer

• Santalum Yasi, Origin: Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu
• Santalum Album, Origin Fiji, Vanuatu
• Santalum Astrocaledonicum, Origin Vanuatu

For sandalwood logs & chips prices, orders and please contact us for more information.

CONCENTRATION OF OIL AND SANTALOL & HEARTWOOD IN THE AVARAGE SANDALWOOD TREE

Sandalwood, Santalum Yasi, Santalum album, and Santalum Astrocaledonicum, is renowned for its fragrant heartwood. Heartwood oil assessment of standing trees differs in elavations, rainfall, and cultivation. Oil and a-santalol concertration for all sandalwood trees generally decreased exponentially up the height of the tree, with considerable variation amongst the species. The roots/butt of the tree carries the most oil percentages, followed by the trunk then branches. The oil is in the heartwood. Mean percentage heartwood and oil concentration in the wood increased significantly with sandalwood age.
Resources Fiji harvest whole trees, including the roots from the ground, de-barked and the heartwood is divided into 4 separate commercial wood grades: butt, roots, 1st grade, 2nd grade, and 3rd grade. A typical tree these days 14-35 years is 65% root & butt and 35% log & branches.

Commercially, we identify the grades as:
• Superior: All butt, root and older trees logs and branches with a-b and ed santalols greater than 60%
• Premium: All butt, root, and older trees (14+years) logs and branches with a-b and ed santalols better than 50%

• Standard: All logs and branches with a-b and ed santalols better than 40%
• Chips (sap and heartwood mixed) from sap cleaning.

Resources Fiji can identify age of the tree and size of heartwood by using industry techniques and know-how from the region.

Sandalwood is a valuable tree associated with many countries and cultures around the world. It is the second most expensive wood in the world. The heartwood of the tree is treasured for its aroma and is one of the finest natural materials for carving. Sandalwood oil is used in perfumes, cosmetics, aromatherapy, and pharmaceuticals. As the tree grows the essential oils develops in the roots and heartwood, which requires at least 12-15 years. Fully matured tree is reached after 35-50 years differs per species. The core of dark heartwood gradually develops which is cover by outer sapwood. The sandalwood tree is harvested in the rainy season when the roots are richer in the precious essential oil. Well-developed sandalwood plantations are in India, Thailand, Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Australia.

Harvesting and Extractions Information

We use steam distillation to extract sandalwood oil from powdered sandalwood. Steam distillation is a process in which steam is heated at extremely high temperature, passed through the powder wood, the steam releases the sandalwood essential Oils that are locked within the cellular structure of the wood. The mixture of steam and oil then flows through a condenser and cools, yielding a layer of oil and a layer of water. The sandalwood essential oil separates from the hydrosol, rise to the top so it can be collected. The distillation process for sandalwood oil takes anywhere from 14-36hours. For more information contact us.