Coconut Charcoal Briquette Factory – your trusted manufacturer and Supplier for the Best Shisha Charcoal

Learn how coconut shell charcoal briquette factory ensures the quality of manufacturing the best brands for hookah coals starting from raw material (coconut shells) to the finished product

My name is Greg Ryabtsev, I specialize in coconut shell charcoal manufacturing, especially manufacturing of shisha charcoal.

My experience is 10+ years working in the industry. And I have a lot of expertise, especially in the manufacturing of shisha charcoal to share and to help you understand coconut charcoal briquette factory capabilities, methods, and choosing the right production process for shisha & BBQ charcoal.

I have spent 53+ hours writing and re-writing this article, collecting, and systematizing my knowledge about processes at the charcoal factory. Actually, after reviewing it is already the 4th update (edition) of the original article.

This article will be useful for shisha charcoal buyers who want to understand coconut charcoal briquette factory capabilities before making a bulk wholesale purchase.

What is a coconut charcoal briquette factory?

Obviously, it is the factory that makes coconut shell charcoal briquettes from coconut shells.

Here is important to note, that in this article we are talking only about factories that focus on making briquettes, as very often coconut shell charcoal is related to activated carbon. It is a different product.

Those briquettes can be used as shisha/hookah coals or BBQ coals. Can it be used for activated carbon? – no, activated carbon is a very different product, and manufacturing process. While the raw materials (coconut shells) are the same, but factory’s final product is totally different.

Can those briquettes be used as a heating source – theoretically, yes, as they have a very high calorific value (7500++ kcal) and high heat of 650-750 °C. But from the price point of view – it is burning your money, compared to wood charcoal, or coal. It is too expensive to use coconut charcoal briquettes for heating.

Key production processes in the factory

Ok, return to the factory: at the coconut charcoal briquette factory, there should be several main sections:

• the first is the carbonization section where coconut shells are carbonized (burned without oxygen) to get the charcoal.
• The second is grinding, mixing, extruding, and shaping the briquettes.
• The third factory section is the drying process and packaging process.

More about those processes and sections I will write down here. Also, I will write about factory capacity, production lines, the number and types of ovens, factory quality control processes, and other processes related to the manufacturing of shisha charcoal.

Demand for eco-friendly shisha charcoal & BBQ briquettes

The demand for eco-friendly shisha charcoal and BBQ briquettes is growing high. It is driven by an awareness of sustainability and environmental conservation. Why is it so? Simply, because to make coconut shell hookah coals we do not use wood and do not cut any trees.

Based on BPS (Indonesian Statistic Governmental Agency) the demand for coconut shell charcoal is growing every year at a 4-7% rate. Predicting to double in 2030.

Key Factors Driving Demand

• Sustainability: Coconut charcoal briquettes are made from 100% coconut shells, a renewable resource that minimizes deforestation and waste. Manufacturing shisha charcoal reduces the carbon footprint compared to traditional charcoal, which often involves not-so-good environmental practices like deforestation.
• Performance: Coconut charcoal briquettes provide a long-lasting burn with consistent heat (2+ hours), making them ideal for both shisha sessions and BBQ. They produce minimal ash (less than 2%) and no smoke, allowing users to enjoy the real flavors of their shisha or grilled food without unpleasant odors/smells.
• Economic Impact: The production of coconut charcoal supports local economies in Indonesia by providing jobs and promoting sustainable agricultural practices.
  
  For example, at our factory there are 250+ workers, meaning that almost 1000 people are supported by the jobs we create. Here we also have to count farmers who collect and deliver coconuts to our factory. This not only helps rural communities but also encourages the cultivation of coconut trees, which are beneficial for the environment.

Factory numbers & location by region, by brand

Based on the International Journal of Management and Commerce Innovations and International Coconut Community – Indonesia is the main country that manufactures coconut shell charcoal briquettes with the biggest number of coconut shell charcoal briquettes factories 322 factories in total as of 2025.

Most of the factories are located on Java Island, mainly in Central Java (122 factories) and East Java (115 factories). Other charcoal factories are located in West Java, Banten. Sumatra (18) and Sulawesi.

Please note, that most of those factories are very small and not reliable in terms of experience and quality. If we are talking about proven quality, with good trade records factories with buyers who are buying repeatedly (not just one-time buy) – there are just 10-15 factories, for example, charcoal.pro owned and operated by PT Coco Total Karbon Indonesia.

The most famous shisha charcoal brands such as Tom Coco, Cocoloco, One Nation, Black Coco’s, Coco Army, Titanium, Cocobrations, Cocourth, CocoUs, Cocodalya, and Golden Desert are manufactured in Java Island (but by different factories).

Differences between a factory and a trading company (trader)

Again, in this research, I focus only on real charcoal factories, not a trading company. Be aware that in Indonesia there are a lot of traders who claim them as factories, but in fact, they are just traders.

I am not against the traders, but for shisha charcoal business it is a very sensitive matter. The trading company does not own factories and sources from different manufacturers. In most of the ways, traders cannot influence the charcoal quality. In my experience, traders just take the one, that makes the biggest margin for them, rather than focusing on long-term quality objectives.

If you are buying in bulk and need better pricing, direct control, and customization, a factory is the better option. If you need flexibility, lower MOQs, and a variety of products, a trading company may be more convenient.

How Coconut Charcoal Briquettes Factory Works and how shisha charcoal is made on it

Good raw material – coconut shell charcoal

First of all, it starts from the raw material. Again, in my 10+ years of experience in the industry, the cornerstone of good shisha charcoal is the raw material. The main is how it was carbonized. Was it carbonized to 65-70% or to 85%? It is a huge difference.

With 60-70% of carbonization, coconut shell charcoals look exactly 85%, but they burn differently. It produces higher ash and lower heat. Please, never use low-carbonized coconut shells in your production.

Besides it, 60-70% level of carbonization produces the specific smell of charcoal. It is stronger than 85% carbonization and results in unpleasant smoking.

Carbonization Process

But not only carbonization level is important. It is important how it was burned (i.e. carbonized). Was is made in the holes in the soil, drums, or rotary kilns.

For example, our coconut shell charcoal briquette factory operates two carbonization plans (in Halmahera and Temanggung) and uses only special design drums and rotary kilns for processing.

Another important process is how carbonization is switched off, i.e. stopped. There are two main options: close oxygen access and it stops by itself or splashes with water.

The most commonly used technique is to splash with water, as it is faster and easier. On the other hand, about 10-15% of coconut shells will not be fully carbonized causing problems in shisha smoking.

The best way is to completely close oxygen access and wait until the process stops by itself. With this method, you are sure that your product reaches the level of 85% of carbon. It takes time, effort, and knowledge, but most importantly it burns out a lot of coconut shells.

If you splash with water you can get from 4 kg of dry coconut shells you get 1 or 1.2 kg of coconut charcoal. But with the second (best method) option from 4 kg, you can get only 700-800 grams of coconut shell charcoal.

That is one of the reasons why good shisha charcoal costs much more. The production cost of coconut shells is higher, but the quality is much better.

Briquetting process

But carbonization is just a start. Now we have to mix and match different sources of coconut shells to get consistent and good quality. The different areas of Indonesia produce different soil and different characteristics of coconut shell charcoals.

For example, Sulawesi, and especially North Sulawesi coconuts are famous for low ash and pinky bright flame, while most Sumatra coconuts make dark red color flame. It all depends on the soil where coconuts grow.

Again, do not think that all Sulawesi coconuts are the same. There are specific regions (villages), areas in Sulawesi where really good coconuts grow, but there are also “bad” ones.

That is the reason we have to mix and match different locations. Sometimes we make up to 12 locations mixes of charcoal to get stable results in terms of ash content and ash colors.

By this, our factory can make sure that the production and quality of hookah coals are the same in each manufacturing batch.

Usually briquetting (i.e. making briquettes) and carbonization processes are performed in different locations. Carbonization near the source of coconuts. And Briquetting neat the big cities, where we can get qualified workers to do all jobs.

Briquetting includes grinding the coconut shell charcoal into the granules or meshes. Usually, it is 2-3 mm granules.

Then granules are mixed with Tapioca – a natural starch to keep the coconut charcoal briquette strong. The volume of tapioca is very small and, for example at our factory is just 1-3%. I personally know some factories that add 5-7% of tapioca, but it makes your charcoal smell and burn faster.

After mixing, charcoal goes through extruders to warm up tapioca and make perfect mixing with granules of charcoal. At our factory, we make 3 to 5 times extruding processes to ensure tapioca is on, as it starts working at a certain temperature only.

After extruding, our charcoal goes to an additional cutting machine that forms the shape of cubes, hexa, fingers, domes, and other shapes.

After shaping is done, coconut charcoal briquettes go to the oven. We use gas and wood ovens, to make sure our briquettes are dry to 3-4% of humidity.

And the last step is packaging. Packaging should be done 1-3 days after shisha charcoal goes out of the oven to prevent moisture from going inside the briquette.

Quality control

Quality control at the factory is another cornerstone. For example, we make a 7-step quality checking system starting from the raw material (checking in the laboratory its carbonization level, ash level, and ash color).

Basically, on each production step, we check and cross-check our product. Yes, we do have ISO 9001 certification, but we also really care about our shisha charcoal.

Our dedicated in-house QC team takes random samples from raw material on arrival, after grinding, and after mixing with Tapioca. And, yes, tapioca is also tested every time we receive it. After extrusion and after cutting. The last step is after the drying process in the oven and after packing.

I personally, check random during the packaging, smoking by myself and using an automatic smoking machine too.

Besides, before shipping we send our coconut charcoal briquettes to the independent laboratory for checking and making sure we are on the right track.

Key Features of a High-Quality Coconut Charcoal Briquette Factory

Ok, here you will know how our coconut charcoal factory ensures its quality and how we can make one of the best well-known shisha charcoal brands.

First of all, we have to understand how we measure and understand the quality of hookah coals. Actually, hookah coals and shisha charcoal are the same terms, just the term shisha charcoal is used in the EU and the Middle East, while Hookah coals are most popular in the US.

Quality parameters in shisha charcoal that are important

First of all, all measuring parameters are the same in the whole container, for example are equal and the same. If you take one box of charcoal in one pallet it should be similar in quality to the other boxes.
Second is from one batch (or for the factory terms for one container to another) the quality is the same. Very often the first container from the factory is good and of high quality while the second container is much worth it and not according to the shisha charcoal standard quality.

What are the main parameters that should be checked? First is the basic NO’s parameters: No Smell, No Cracks, No Smoke.
Your manufactured shisha charcoal should be without smell (odorless), without cracks, and without smoke.
Looks obvious, but still, many factories fail to fulfill those basic requirements.

Then we go to the “quality” parameters. The most important is the ash content. How much ash is collected on the sides of the shisha charcoal briquettes? Less ash is better.

After that goes parameters of heat yield or heat output during a certain time, in simple terms it is the temperature of the charcoal briquettes. We use it to heat the molasse (shisha tobacco).

So we need a certain stable temperature (heat transfer) from charcoal briquettes to tobacco during the smoking session (usually 40 to 90 minutes).

What is influence on the heat transfer? Calorific value, carbonization level, ash content, volatile matter, and moisture of the charcoal.

How we can reach the required parameters for shisha charcoal? Simple by following those steps.

Premium raw materials

There are 3 main components in shisha charcoal briquettes: coconut shell charcoal (99-95% by mass), tapioca (1-5%), and water.
Selecting raw materials is paramount to making the world’s best hookah coal brands. First of all no mixing with wood or other nuts, only coconut shell charcoal. But not any coconuts, but only old coconuts are good for making shisha coals.

Coconut shells should be naturally aged, preferably on the palm tree. Yes, it takes about one month for green coconut to become a brown color and hard shell, but it is worth it.

Then coconut should be cleaned/piled from the “hairs” and broken into chunks for a better process of carbonization. The smaller the chunks, the better, and more perfectly the carbonization will go on.

Tapioca takes from 1 to 5% by mass, but it is an important element that works as glue (or natural binder) so charcoal briquette will not break apart. It is critical to choose the correct tapioca, as there are hundreds of different tapioca types in Indonesia, each of them with a different influence on the shisha charcoal.

If the factory chooses the wrong type of tapioca – it will make the shisha charcoal briquette crack, easily break, and smell. Yes, tapioca influences smell very much. Mostly, when charcoal smells it is chemicals or tapioca smell.

Water – The factory should use filtered fresh natural water for making briquettes. Again, it is important to have an industrial filter at the factory to make sure water is clean and free from dust, clay corrosion, or other elements.

Quality control

In my own experience, I visited and saw about 50+ factories, just good factories with good brands that have proper quality control.
Just a few of the factories have real quality control. It is very important to have a dedicated quality control team (so dedicated here means that they only do quality checks and report to the director or the owner of the factory).

Very often I see that the quality inspector and manufacturing head are the same person. It is wrong if you want to have really good and stable quality for your shisha charcoal – those persons should be different. Quality control should be dedicated and independent of the production manager. QC should not depend on or be influenced by the production director or manager.

Quality inspectors should not only check the final product but also check all other steps before. For example, at our factor, we have implemented the 7-step quality control process that includes checking raw material (5 parameters), grinding process (mesh, granules), mixer process, extrusion, cutting, shaping, drying (oven), and packaging processes.

Certifications & Compliance for Export

Good if your factory possesses some industry-related certifications. For example, at our shisha charcoal factory, we operate based on ISO 9001 standards. Also, each batch of shisha charcoal is checked by an independent laboratory for ash content, moisture, calorific value, and carbon level. We use Carsurin and Backjorindo as our laboratory partners.

Besides it, is important to know if the factory passed the Factory Audit (FA) Factory Audit is made by a certified independent surveyor who checks if the charcoal factory operates based on standard operational procedure (SOP) and according to the standards on each step of production.

Data on burn time, ash content, and heat values

Ok, now, let’s continue with the simple thing, that is very obvious, but very seldom made by factories (for sure our factory is doing it always). This is collecting and keeping data for each production batch (i.e. container) so when your factory makes the next batch of shisha charcoal they can compare it with the previous productions.

Otherwise how the factory will know that it makes stable and similar products in each container and in each batch? Simply, need to save some 10-20 kgs of charcoal and then burn it in old and new batches next to each other.

Production Infrastructure (production lines, mixers ctr)

Production infrastructure is often neglected by many factories. What makes a good difference between a good (well-known shisha charcoal brand) and just an average charcoal factory? It is infrastructure.
One of the most important is to separate raw material warehouses, grinding machines, and the production and packaging areas. Coconut shell charcoal is a very dusty material, so if you make all processes under a single roof – be ready to get dust in all parts of the final product.

The other important parameter is the number of extruders, mixers, size of the conveyor, and size and volume of the ovens. For example, at our factory, we have a 6-meter-long cleaning drum that makes sure our raw material is free from dust.
We operate 2 grinding machines with industrial engines of 450 horsepower each. These extremely powerful engines make very small particles for better production and quality of the charcoal briquettes.
We operate two mixers each of them 150 kgs, to make smaller and more controllable batches of charcoal. Also, we have 6 extruder machines with different levels of compression and compression timing for the different shapes of shisha charcoal (like cubes, hexagonal, stix, domes, and flats).
We operate 8 ovens with different capacities from 1.5 to 9 tons. Again depending on the production quality we can easily adjust and make the perfect match for the product.

Consistency in quality, capacity

As I have written before consistency in quality is the most difficult part for the factory of making shisha charcoal. With higher manufacturing capacity, it becomes very challenging to keep the same quality in each batch.

For example, our factory is making 10 tons of shisha charcoal per day. To reach this level we have to process 12-15 tons of raw material every day. And it makes 2 to 5 tons of rejection or loss during the manufacturing process.

By these steps, coconut shell charcoal briquette factories ensure the quality of manufacturing the best brands for hookah coals.

How to choose the best and right factory for wholesale supply of shisha charcoal

Ok, now you understand how factories make sure quality is consistent and according to the standards. But how to make sure you are dealing with the right factory? The answer is simple – this is my own experience based on hundreds of visitors (ie. potential buyers) who visit our own factory. I know what to take a look at and where to point your attention.

Factory visit and Audit

First of all the best way to make sure you are dealing with the right coconut charcoal factory is to visit it. Yes, this is the most efficient way to make sure that the factory really exists, and really operates. You can take a look at the people who are working in it and understand if should you order shisha charcoal from them.

First, just make a video call and as the factory manager show around the office, production area, and warehouse. By this, you can see if the factory is really operating.

Then you visit a coconut charcoal factory in Indonesia. Yes, it takes time and cost to fly to Indonesia and stay for a couple of days. But you also can visit several factories and compare how it works and look.

Check factory certifications

While at the factory check its certifications. If I were you, I would check Factory Audit – to make sure that the factory was audited by an independent surveyor and approved by shipping lines.
For sure you don’t want to have issues when you order shisha charcoal, but cannot deliver your container with shisha charcoal, right?

Then, I will check about the Bill of Ladings (BL) and Certificate of Origin. Make sure that all documents, including Factory Audit, are on the factory name. For example, it is on the name of PT Coco Total Karbon Indonesia.

Check when those documents were issued, and how many documents they hold. So you can understand the capacity of the production too.

Analyze production capacity

This is a difficult task, but at least you can approximately what is the real capacity of the factory. So where to point your attention? First of all, is the warehouse with ready goods – check how many containers are ready to be loaded.
Then check the number and size of ovens. To make 10-15 tons of shisha charcoal per day you need at least 5 ovens to operate. Not one big single oven, but 3-6 medium size (3-5 tons) industrial ovens.

Analyze QC process

Oh, this is the most important step you have to do. Actually, the main point of visiting the factory is to see how they (the factory) are controlling the quality.

For example, at our charcoal factory we have a dedicated team that checks the quality of each production step.

Also, check if at the factory they smoke shisha. Yes, simply check if they have hookah and tobacco and they know how to do it.

You may be shocked but in most factories, nobody smokes shisha. If so – how can they make shisha charcoal? They do not know what they are making!

At our coconut charcoal briquettes factory, I personally have 3 different size hookahs, 8 types of bowls (including rare shape Upgrade form, silicon hookah bowls, funnels, and turkey), I have 3 types of foil (different thinnest), and 3 types of colauds.

See the people (they have to smoke)

Yes, see the people, how they work, who is the owner, and how he cares about the factory. This is all very important.

Check if they have a dedicated finance person – simple to understand that this factory has many transactions to do. Check if they have dedicated shipping personnel, so they have enough containers to ship it out.

Where to find the best coconut charcoal briquettes factory

From my experience, so far the best in terms of quality is Indonesian coconut shell charcoal factories. You can check top brands in the world: Black Coco’s, One Nation, Nara, Coco Army, Titanium, and many more natural coconut shell charcoal briquettes – all of them made in an Indonesian charcoal factory.

Why Indonesian coconut shells are considered the best? Simply because Indonesia is blessed with the soil, that grows good coconuts. Goods – means coconut that makes coconut charcoal with very thin and white ash.
Besides that, Indonesia is the biggest coconut manufacturing country (17.97 million metric tons of coconut per year), so there are really a lot of coconuts. And Indonesian charcoal factories long time in business, so we do have experience in making shisha charcoal.

If you are looking only for cheap or mixed with wood, but less quality charcoal – you can check Vietnam, Thailand, and China.

Top Locations & why Indonesia

As of now, most of the reliable factories are located in Java, mostly in Central Java, then in East and West Java accordingly.

Common Mistakes to Avoid when sourcing from a factory

Based on my experience there are several main mistakes that first-time bulk buyers of shisha charcoal make.

Choosing a trading company instead of a real factory

Ok, traders are good, but they cannot influence and control the quality at the factory. Please, make sure you order from the factory, not the trader.

Ignoring quality control and product test

Do not believe in words, come to the factory and check by yourself. See how the factory is checking. Spend several days at the factory, and make sure you test your charcoal several times.

Choosing the cheapest price

There is the quality – there is the price. To win at the very competitive shisha charcoal market you need to have the best quality. To get the best quality – it costs at the production.
There are many factories in Indonesia that offer you cheap products, they even can send you samples – that look great, but please do not believe them. Come here (to Indonesia) and check by yourself. Take random charcoal from the production floor and burn it.

Not checking export documents and certifications

Make sure your charcoal factory has all the documents that allow it to export and ship hookah coals. Check the Factory Audit and Bill of Lading of the previous shipments.