If you want to know how to import cloves from Indonesia, the price quote is the last step, not the first. The cloves have to match a written specification, the documents have to match the destination, and the pack has to survive the voyage. This guide is for spice importers, wholesalers and food manufacturers in Japan, China, Singapore, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. It follows the same export path we use at CV Sekawan Cipta Dinar in Waru, Sidoarjo, East Java, close to Tanjung Perak port in Surabaya.
For the trade name, the harvest calendar and how Lalpari cloves are used in each market, read our Lalpari cloves buyer’s guide. This article stays on the import steps.
What You Are Actually Importing
Cloves are the dried, unopened flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum. Buyers usually want whole buds: reddish-brown, brittle, with the head still on the bud and a clean, strong aroma when crushed. Crushed or ground cloves are a different product, with a different HS code and a shorter aroma life. Say which form you need before anyone talks about a container.
Indonesia is the world’s largest producer. FAO figures put 2020 output at 133,604 tonnes, and the Ministry of Agriculture estimates the country grows about three-quarters of the world crop. Most of that crop is grown by smallholders, and the domestic kretek industry is the largest local buyer. Export lots are therefore sorted from a wide supply base. The exporter’s cleaning, drying and lab checks are part of what you are paying for.
How to Import Cloves from Indonesia, Step by Step
Step 1: Write the specification first
Two offers are only comparable when they use the same parameters. Our published specification for Lalpari cloves is:
| Parameter | Our Lalpari cloves | Why it belongs in the contract |
|---|---|---|
| Volatile oil | 18–21% | Sets aroma strength and the value for oil distillers |
| Moisture | 8–12% | Affects mould risk, storage life and the weight you pay for |
| Foreign matter | 0.5–1% | Dust and leaf add weight without adding spice |
| Stems | 1–2% | Stems dilute a lot bought for its buds |
| Colour | Rich reddish-brown | The visual check buyers use on arrival |
| Aroma | Strong | A fast check that the oil is still in the bud |
If your buyer or your lab also needs a eugenol figure, or limits for mother cloves, blown cloves and exhausted cloves, put those limits in the inquiry. We do not treat a trade name as a substitute for numbers.
Step 2: Choose whole or ground, and the HS code
Whole cloves and ground cloves are classified separately:
- HS 0907.10 — cloves, neither crushed nor ground.
- HS 0907.20 — cloves, crushed or ground.
Your country may add extra digits. Confirm the full tariff line, the duty and any preferential origin form with your customs broker before the contract is signed. We can state the heading on the invoice; the national code is your broker’s check.
Step 3: Approve a sample against the same numbers
Ask for a sample and compare it with the specification you wrote in step 1. A useful check is simple:
- Spread the sample on white paper and look for stems, dust and broken heads.
- Check that the colour is an even reddish-brown, not pale or grey with dust.
- Crush a few buds. The aroma should be strong and clean, never musty.
- Ask which lab results will be on the certificate of analysis for the shipment lot, not only for the sample.
Our quality control has four layers: procurement and pre-sorting from partner farmers, cleaning and drying to the agreed moisture, lab testing with a QC report for each batch, and packing with the export documents. A COA is available on request. Tell us which parameters the COA should show.
Step 4: Agree Incoterms, packing and the shipment window
We ship from Tanjung Perak, Surabaya. Incoterms are agreed per contract. Common choices under Incoterms 2020 are FOB Surabaya, where you book freight and insurance, and CFR or CIF to your port, where we book the freight. Under all three, risk passes once the goods are on board.
Packing options include vacuum packs, bulk packing, aluminium foil, kraft bags and PP bags. Cloves lose aroma if the pack is open to air for long, so say whether you need retail-ready packs or bulk packs for your own grinding. Quantity is quoted per order. There is no published minimum on this page; send the tonnage you need and we will confirm whether it fits a container from Surabaya.
The main Indonesian harvest generally falls between about May and September, and the exact window moves by island and by year. If you need buds from a particular harvest, say so when you ask for the quotation. Madagascar, the other large origin, harvests on a different calendar, which is why the spice is offered all year.
Step 5: Lock the document set
A typical clove shipment can include:
| Document | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Commercial invoice and packing list | Value, Incoterm, weights and lot marks |
| Bill of lading | The sea carriage contract |
| Certificate of analysis | The lab results agreed for that lot |
| Phytosanitary certificate | Plant-health clearance where the destination requires it |
| Certificate of origin | Proof of Indonesian origin; preferential forms only where the rules allow |
| MSDS and any extra certificates | On request, if your market or your buyer asks for them |
List every document in the inquiry. Adding a certificate after the container is booked is slower than agreeing it in the quotation.
Clearance in the Destination Market
Rules change. Use this only as a map, then confirm it with your broker or the authority named below.
- Saudi Arabia: the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) regulates food imports and uses its electronic platforms for registration and clearance.
- UAE: emirate food-control authorities, such as Dubai Municipality, apply the federal food-import rules.
- China: overseas food manufacturers may need to be registered with the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC). Confirm which route applies to whole cloves.
- Singapore: the importer needs a Singapore Food Agency (SFA) licence or registration, a TradeNet account and an import permit for each consignment.
- Japan: each food import needs an import notification to a quarantine station of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) under the Food Sanitation Act. The consignment may be inspected.
From 2023 to 2025, UN Comtrade data published through WITS (HS 090700) showed Indonesia as a leading clove supplier to Saudi Arabia, China and, in some years, Singapore. India has been the largest destination since 2024. Those shares move with the crop. They are a reason to prepare documents early, not a promise of duty or of volume.
What Moves the Price
We quote per order. We do not publish a clove price list. The main drivers are the Indonesian harvest and its on-off yield cycle, the Madagascar crop, demand from the kretek industry, the oil and cleanliness of the lot, the pack, the freight and the rupiah–dollar rate. Ask for the quotation against a written specification so a lower number is not simply a higher stem count.
Request a Quote for Indonesian Cloves
Send the destination port, the quantity, whole or ground, the pack, the specification in the table above (plus any extra limits), and the documents your market needs. We reply within 24 working hours with a proforma invoice to review.
- Quote form: sekawanciptadinar.id/#order
- WhatsApp: +62 852-3001-7377
- Email: inquiry@sekawanciptadinar.id
We also export Java green coffee. If you want cloves and coffee discussed together, say so at the inquiry stage. Green coffee picks up odours, so many buyers keep the two in separate containers. The choice is yours to make before we book space. The coffee import steps are in our guide on how to import coffee beans from Indonesia.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which HS code applies to whole cloves?
Whole cloves that are not crushed or ground fall under HS 0907.10. Crushed or ground cloves fall under HS 0907.20. Confirm the national digits with your broker.
What specification do you publish for Lalpari cloves?
Volatile oil 18–21%, moisture 8–12%, foreign matter 0.5–1% and stems 1–2%, with a rich reddish-brown colour and a strong aroma. A COA is available on request.
Do I need a sample before a bulk order?
You should check a sample against the agreed specification. Sample availability and terms are confirmed when you request a quotation. Each shipment batch can come with a QC report.
Which documents can you supply?
A commercial set plus a COA, an MSDS, a phytosanitary certificate and a certificate of origin, together with any other document your market requires and that we have agreed in the quotation.
Can cloves share a container with green coffee?
Discuss it before booking. Cloves are strongly aromatic and green coffee absorbs odours. Separate containers are the safer default.