Free coconut charcoal samples: 1–10 kg, and how they actually ship
By Mohamad Sinno, Charcoal Expert · Last updated
Coco Reina sends 1–10 kg coconut shell charcoal samples free of charge; you pay the freight. Because charcoal is UN 1361 Class 4.2, a sample cannot travel as an ordinary courier parcel — it moves as declared dangerous goods, by a forwarder or by sea. Request one on WhatsApp.
What you get
The offer in full, with nothing held back for the conversation:
| Sample size | 1–10 kg |
|---|---|
| Cost of the charcoal | Free |
| Cost of the freight | Paid by the recipient |
| How it travels | Declared UN 1361, Class 4.2, Packing Group III — by a forwarder that handles dangerous goods, or by sea |
| Obligation to order | None |
Photo slot: sample box, contents laid out
What this page does not publish
Two things a buyer reasonably wants, which this site will not estimate:
- A door-to-door transit time. It depends on the route, your country's dangerous-goods handling and the forwarder carrying it. A number invented here would be a number you plan against. Ask, and you get the real one for your route.
- A fixed document set. What travels with a sample is agreed per request. This page promises no certificate it cannot show you first.
How it works, step by step
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1 · You message us
WhatsApp or email, with the details in the next section. There is no form to fill in and no account to create.
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2 · We agree what to send
Shape, size and packaging. Worth choosing deliberately: the minimum order is 1 × FCL (20 ft or 40 ft), so the sample set is effectively you shortlisting what will go inside a container you actually buy.
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3 · We agree the route
Two compliant routes exist: declared Class 4.2 freight through a forwarder that handles dangerous goods, or sea freight. Which one fits depends on your country and how much you want to test. Freight is on your account, so you see the real cost before it moves.
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4 · It ships declared
UN 1361, Class 4.2, Packing Group III — the same declaration Coco Reina puts on a full container. A sample is a small shipment, not a different legal category.
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5 · You evaluate, then we talk terms
The commercial terms are already fixed, so there is nothing to negotiate on the way in:
Minimum order 1 × FCL (20 ft or 40 ft) Incoterms EXW Factory (default); CFR on some orders Port of loading Jakarta (Tanjung Priok) primary; Semarang also used Production lead time 15 working days (20 ft) · 20 working days (40 ft) — excludes packaging, QC and vessel booking Palletisation A 20 ft is always floor-loaded, without pallets. Only a 40 ft can take pallets — ISPM-15 marked, 100 × 120 cm, 20 per 40 ft — and floor loading is preferred even there
How a sample actually ships — and why not by courier
This is the part most sample pages skip. Coconut shell charcoal is UN 1361, Class 4.2, a self-heating dangerous good under the UN 1361 and IMDG 42-24 dangerous-goods rules. That classification does not soften because the box is small.
By air into the United States, UN 1361 is forbidden outright
The Hazardous Materials Table at 49 CFR § 172.101 carries two rows for UN 1361, "Carbon, animal or vegetable origin". Both read the same way in the air columns:
| Hazardous Materials Table column | UN 1361, PG II | UN 1361, PG III |
|---|---|---|
| (8A) Exceptions | None | None |
| (9A) Passenger aircraft / rail | Forbidden | Forbidden |
| (9B) Cargo aircraft only | Forbidden | Forbidden |
| (10A) Vessel stowage | A | A |
Source: 49 CFR § 172.101, Hazardous Materials Table, UN 1361 rows — US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, via eCFR. Text in force at 30 July 2026; retrieved 3 August 2026.
The rule defines its own term. Under § 172.101(j)(1), "Forbidden" means the material may not be offered for transportation or transported in the applicable mode of transport. Both air columns say it, for both packing groups, and the exceptions column offers no way round. Read the last row across, though, and the picture is not that charcoal cannot move — it is that charcoal moves by sea. The vessel stowage category is assigned; the aircraft columns are shut.
And a small parcel gets no relief anywhere
The obvious hope is that 1 kg is too little to matter. It is not. In the Dangerous Goods List entry for UN 1361, the limited quantity column reads 0 and the excepted quantity column reads E0 — for both packing groups (IMO Resolution MSC.556(108), 23 May 2024). Those two columns are the small-quantity escape routes that let many dangerous goods travel as ordinary freight below a threshold. For charcoal, both are closed. There is no quantity small enough to make a sample stop being dangerous goods.
Why we tell you this instead of shipping it quietly
A charcoal parcel that arrives by air courier arrived one of two ways: declared and handled by a shipper approved for it, or not declared at all. The second is how containers catch fire and how a buyer's own consignment gets seized. Coco Reina declares its samples for the same reason it declares its containers — because the alternative puts the liability on whoever's name is on the paperwork, which at destination is yours.
If the classification itself is new to you, why charcoal is Class 4.2 covers the self-heating chemistry and the fire record behind the rule.
What to send us
There is no form on this page and no address to hand over to a marketing list. You message the export desk directly, and the more of this you include, the fewer rounds it takes:
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Company and country
Who is importing, and where it clears. This decides the route options in step 3.
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Destination port
Named, not just the country — it changes the freight quote you will be paying.
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Shape, size and packaging you want to test
Or tell us the market you sell into and we will propose a set.
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Volume you are planning
Containers per month or per year, even roughly. It is not a commitment; it tells us whether to talk 20ft or 40ft.
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Your WhatsApp number
The export desk works on WhatsApp; email is fine if you prefer it.
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Your forwarder, if you have one
Specifically, whether they handle Class 4.2. If not, say so — it is the normal starting position, not a problem.
Send it and we will come back with a route
Free charcoal, 1–10 kg, freight on your account, no obligation to order.
Sample Q&A
Is the sample really free?
The charcoal is free, from 1 to 10 kg. The freight is paid by the recipient. There is no charge for the product and no obligation to order afterwards.
Can you send a sample by DHL or FedEx?
No. In United States jurisdiction the Hazardous Materials Table at 49 CFR § 172.101 lists UN 1361 as Forbidden in both air columns — passenger aircraft (9A) and cargo aircraft only (9B) — for packing groups II and III alike, with no exceptions section cited. The rule defines Forbidden as meaning the material may not be offered for transportation or transported in that mode. Nor does a small parcel help: the Dangerous Goods List entry carries limited quantity 0 and excepted quantity E0, so there is no small-quantity relief to fall back on. A sample moves as declared dangerous goods through a forwarder, or by sea.
Why is a bag of charcoal dangerous goods at all?
Because freshly made carbon takes up oxygen from the air, and that oxidation releases heat. A packed mass that cannot shed the heat climbs toward its self-ignition point, so UN 1361 is classified Class 4.2, liable to spontaneous combustion. It describes how the material behaves in transit, not a defect in the batch.
Other suppliers advertise a free 1 kg sample by courier. Why can you not?
The offer is common. The rules above are what it runs into: in United States jurisdiction UN 1361 is Forbidden on both passenger and cargo aircraft, and the entry carries no limited-quantity and no excepted-quantity allowance. A shipment does not become compliant on the way just because it is small. We would rather explain the constraint than quietly ship into it — and if a supplier's sample reached you by air courier, that is a question worth asking them before you trust the same operation with a container.
What happens after we evaluate the sample?
The order terms are fixed and published above: minimum order 1 × FCL (20 ft or 40 ft); incoterms EXW Factory (default); CFR on some orders, and on EXW terms the buyer carries the dangerous-goods declarant burden; port of loading Jakarta (Tanjung Priok) primary; Semarang also used; production lead time 15 working days (20 ft) · 20 working days (40 ft), which excludes packaging, QC and vessel booking. A 20 ft is always floor-loaded without pallets; only a 40 ft can take pallets, ISPM-15 marked, 100 × 120 cm, 20 per 40 ft.
This page is general information on the transport of charcoal samples, not legal or dangerous-goods advice. 49 CFR governs transport in United States jurisdiction; rules for other routes differ. Confirm the requirements for your own shipment with your forwarder or a licensed dangerous-goods specialist before anything moves.