Pinus merkusii · Java & Sumatra · HS 3806.10
Indonesia produces around 80,000 tonnes of gum rosin a year — roughly 9.2% of world output — from managed Pinus merkusii stands in Java and Sumatra. We supply it by the grade, the drum and the container, with a Certificate of Analysis on every lot.
Origin
Two islands, two resin profiles
Pinus merkusii is the only pine that crosses the equator naturally. Published analysis of Indonesian merkusii found that turpentine oils and the neutral fraction of the gum oleoresin differ measurably by locality, and so does the acidic fraction that becomes rosin. Sumatra resin and Java resin are not interchangeable — so we keep them separate, and we tell you which one you are buying.
Process
Bark to bill of lading
Rosin quality is set in the forest, not the factory. Clean bark chipping, short collection intervals and covered transport are what keep the oleoresin light — and light oleoresin is what makes X and WW grade instead of N and M.
Bark chipping (quarre): a wound about 2 cm deep, 6 cm wide and 20 cm high, refreshed on a fixed cycle.
2 × 6 × 20 cmField trials on Java report 32–64 g per tree over a 6-day interval untreated by stimulant, and 110–185 g across 18 days.
5.3–10.6 g/day/treeBark, needles and water are washed and filtered out. What is left in the melt is what shows up as ash on the COA.
Ash target ≤ 0.03%Steam distillation splits the oleoresin: turpentine overhead, rosin as the residue — typically 4:1 to 6:1 by weight.
FAO naval storesMolten rosin is poured, colour-graded against reference standards, then drummed or bagged and sealed for the container.
X · WW · WG · N · M · KGrades & specification
Graded by colour, bought by number
Grade letters run from X, the palest, down through WW, WG, N, M and K as the colour deepens. Colour is a proxy for how cleanly the resin was handled — so the letter on the drum tells a formulator most of what they need before the COA is even opened.
| Grade | Colour | Gardner (max) | Softening pt. R&B | Acid value | Ash (max) | Typical use |
|---|
Indicative commercial ranges for Indonesian Pinus merkusii gum rosin. Softening point by ring & ball; acid value in mg KOH/g; ash and moisture by weight. Every shipment is governed by the Certificate of Analysis issued for that lot — ask us for a pre-shipment sample and COA before you fix the contract.
Rosin is roughly 90% resin acids. In Indonesian merkusii, abietic acid is the major component — and published work reports that levopimaric acid could not be detected in these rosins, unlike most pine rosins.
Source: Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences 9(1), 2006 — Indonesian P. merkusii composition
Indonesian producers of merkusii rosin report a lower acid value, a higher softening temperature, better adhesive bonding and a distinct aromatic character against the more common Chinese massoniana rosin.
Applications
Where the tonnage goes
Rosin ends up in adhesives, paper sizing agents, printing inks, solders and fluxes, surface coatings, electronics insulation, synthetic rubber, chewing gum bases, soaps and detergents. Tell us the end use and we will point you at the grade — the wrong grade is the most expensive line item in a rosin contract.
Hot-melt, pressure-sensitive and packaging tapes. Rosin esters and glycerol/pentaerythritol esters start here.
Grades X · WW · WGFortified and dispersed rosin size controls water penetration in printing and packaging papers.
Grades WW · WG · NRosin-modified phenolics and maleic resins carry pigment in offset, gravure and flexo systems.
Grades WG · N · MDisproportionated rosin soap is the emulsifier for SBR polymerisation; rosin also works as a processing tackifier.
Grades N · M · KPale, low-ash rosin is the classic activated flux base and an insulating varnish component.
Grade X · WW onlyRosin soaps, chewing gum base and surface coatings — the segment that most often specifies food-contact documentation.
Grade X · WWMarket
Prices to June 2026
Crude gum availability has been the binding constraint through 2026, with freight and energy costs on top. Buy the origin closest to the resin and you take one link out of that chain.
USD per metric tonne, June 2026. Indonesia sits at the low end of the delivered curve — the US market pays about 27% more than Indonesian material.
Source: ChemAnalyst gum rosin pricing, June 2026
Share of Indonesian gum rosin exports by destination. China and India together take close to six tonnes in ten.
Source: Int. J. Sustainable Development & Planning 17(6), 2022 — Indonesia pine chemical industry
Gum rosin shipped out of Indonesia, tonnes per year.
Source: Int. J. Sustainable Development & Planning 17(6), 2022
The world gum rosin market is put at USD 1.53 billion in 2025 and forecast at USD 2.66 billion by 2034 — a 5.40% compound rate, with adhesives holding 43.64% of demand.
Source: Fortune Business Insights, gum rosin market
Shipping & documents
FOB, CFR or CIF
Request for quotation
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Before you order
One 20-foot container, roughly 18–20 MT depending on the pack.
Yes — 500 g to 1 kg with the COA for that lot.
Visual comparison against reference standards under controlled light.
Java for consistency; either origin if you blend.
L/C at sight or T/T against documents, agreed per contract.