Method 01
Ash Content
What ash content means in charcoal, why inert mineral residue matters to buyers, and how it is generally measured under public standards such as ASTM D1762 and ISO 18122.
Charcoal test methods
12 methodology pages covering the parameters that appear on charcoal quality certificates — the 6 core datasheet metrics plus performance indicators. Each explains what the parameter measures, why it matters, the typical measurement method under public standards, buyer relevance, limitations and the data source.
Method 02
Moisture
What moisture content means in charcoal, why water weight matters to buyers, and how it is generally measured under public standards such as ASTM D1762, ASTM D3173 and the ISO 18134 series.
Method 03
Fixed Carbon
What fixed carbon means in charcoal, why it is a calculated rather than measured parameter, and how it is derived from moisture, volatile matter and ash under public proximate-analysis methods.
Method 04
Volatile Matter
What volatile matter means in charcoal, why it drives ignition and smoke behaviour, and how it is generally measured under public standards such as ASTM D1762, ASTM D3175 and ISO 18123.
Method 05
Burning Time
What burning time means for charcoal performance, why it has no single universal standard, and how it is generally assessed under defined, configuration-specific test protocols.
Method 06
Size Tolerance
What size tolerance and size grading mean for charcoal, why declared size classes require a checking method, and how size is generally characterised by sieve analysis and defined size classes.
Method 07
Emissions
What charcoal combustion emissions testing covers, which species are typically measured, and how they are assessed under controlled protocols such as ISO 19867-1 and standard sampling methods.
Method 08
Density
What bulk density means for charcoal, why it decides container loading and freight economics, and how it is generally measured under public methods such as ISO 17828 and container-fill procedures.
Method 09
Calorific Value
What gross calorific value means for charcoal, how it is measured by bomb calorimetry under public methods such as ASTM D5865 and ISO 18125, and how it relates to fixed carbon.
Method 10
Ignition Time
What ignition time means for charcoal, why it has no single universal standard, and how it is generally assessed under defined lighting conditions, including the natural versus quick-light distinction.
Method 11
Breakage
What breakage and mechanical durability mean for charcoal, why fines matter in transit and on arrival, and how they are generally assessed under tumbling and drop-test methods such as ISO 17831-1 and ASTM D440.
Method 12
Odor
What odor means for charcoal quality, how feedstock purity and carbonisation drive it, why it is a sensory rather than a laboratory metric, and how it relates to volatile matter.
Industry reference points (Chinese-language sources)
Class-level reference values compiled from public Chinese-language trade listings, process references and standard series (GB/T 12496 family for activated carbon). These provide industry context only.
| Metric | Reference value | Context | Source type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed carbon (carbonized coconut shell) | ≥ 70% | Typical declared specification for traded carbonized coconut shell material | Chinese trade listing |
| Ash (carbonized coconut shell) | ≤ 3% | Typical declared ceiling for carbonized shell as traded | Chinese trade listing |
| Moisture (carbonized coconut shell) | ≤ 15% | As-traded moisture ceiling; final briquette moisture is lower (6-8%) | Chinese trade listing |
| Volatile matter (carbonized coconut shell) | 10-15% | Residual volatile fraction of carbonized shell | Chinese trade listing |
| Carbonization temperature | 600-900 °C | Effective temperature window for shell carbonization described in public process references | Public process reference |
| Shell-to-charcoal yield | ~2-2.5 t shells → 1 t charcoal | Yield ratio with feedstock moisture ≤ 20% | Public process reference |
| Iodine number (coconut shell activated carbon) | 1,000-1,200 mg/g | Class-level adsorbent quality indicator for the activated-carbon product family (not fuel charcoal) | Public standard series |
| Ash (coconut shell activated carbon) | 2-3% | Purity indicator for activated carbon; not interchangeable with fuel-charcoal ash specs | Public standard series |
How to use these pages
Read a certificate alongside the matching methodology page. Check which standard and reporting basis the laboratory used, and whether the sample was taken at the point you care about. Where this site has no verified report for a parameter, it says data pending rather than quoting an unverified figure.
Parameter definitions and units live on the data sub-site: data.chinacharcoalhub.com.