Tola
A tola is a weight unit of approximately 11.66 grams, and it is the unit in which oud oil is commonly quoted in Gulf and South Asian trade. Because the quotation and the delivered weight can diverge โ through evaporation, spillage, container tare and differing interpretation of the measure โ the unit should be agreed explicitly at the point of quotation rather than assumed.
What it refers to
The tola is part of the South Asian weight system and was in use for several centuries before it appears in oud trade; in this trade it has become the unit for both a quantity of oil and, in some usage, a quantity of wood. It survives in commercial use because the older unit it replaces is no longer in general use, not because it is the most convenient measure.
The precise attribution of this term varies between markets, suppliers and periods, and a seller may use it more loosely than the strict usage. Where the distinction matters to a purchase, confirm the meaning with the counterparty rather than relying on the label.
What it does not prove
A price expressed per tola says nothing about the quality or the age of the material, and it does not guarantee the delivered weight. Confirm the gross and net weight basis and the container tare on the order.
This entry gives the general trade referent of the term. It does not establish the specific grading, composition or origin of any material described with it, and it is not a standard.
- FAOLEX โ the FAO legal and policy databaseFull-text legislative and policy documents relating to food, agriculture, forestry and trade from FAO member states. It establishes the published text of a national instrument. It does not establish how an instrument is enforced in practice.
- CITES Appendices โ what each listing requires for tradeEstablishes what each of the three CITES Appendices requires for trade. Appendix I: international trade is permitted only in exceptional circumstances and cannot be primarily for commercial use, and both an import and an export permit or re-export certificate are required. Appendix II: an export permit or re-export certificate from the country of export is required, and no import permit is needed unless a country's national law requires one. Appendix III: an export permit is required from the country that listed the species, and a certificate of origin is required for exports of a listed species from elsewhere. It does not name any particular species, it does not establish that a shipment complies, and it is not itself a permit.
- Agarwood: A reviewStates that CITES Appendix II covers all species of Aquilaria and Gyrinops, and reports fifteen Aquilaria species distributed across the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, from Pakistan and India through southern China into Southeast Asia. It does not establish the legal status of any individual shipment in any particular jurisdiction.
OudGuide editorial review ยท 2026-10-20
Reviewed against the cited sources and checked for a question-specific answer. Trade attributions were checked against the general trade usage rather than against a single market, and each entry states which parts are local rather than general.