Gaharu
Gaharu is the Malay and Indonesian word for agarwood, used across Indonesia and Malaysia for both the wood and the oil. In the Indonesian trade it frequently carries an additional sense of a particular type or quality of wood rather than the category as a whole, which is why the term needs the rest of the description to be understood.
The direct answer
Gaharu is the Malay and Indonesian word for agarwood, used across Indonesia and Malaysia for both the wood and the oil. In the Indonesian trade it frequently carries an additional sense of a particular type or quality of wood rather than the category as a whole, which is why the term needs the rest of the description to be understood.
What it refers to
The word is used for the resinous wood of Aquilaria species and for the oil distilled from it. Indonesian usage also distinguishes between types by name — the higher-priced West Kalimantan material is referred to by particular names that are widely discussed in the domestic trade.
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
The word does not establish the species, the region within Indonesia, the resin content or the quality of a particular lot. Regional names within the country are not interchangeable, and the domestic names are not an international standard.
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.
- Biodiversity and application prospects of fungal endophytes in the agarwood-producing genera Aquilaria and Gyrinops (Thymelaeaceae): a reviewStates that all members of the agarwood-producing genera Aquilaria and Gyrinops are placed in CITES Appendix II. Records 92 compounds identified in agarwood, of which terpenoids are 40.22%, and names eighteen fungal genera reported to promote agarwood formation. It does not establish the quality, yield or age of any material, and it is a review rather than a regulatory instrument.
OudGuide editorial review · 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.
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