White copra vs run-of-mine copra: what the trade words mean

The difference between white copra and run-of-mine copra is a common question, but no standard table answers it. Both words came out of the market, not from a rule. This note gathers what the sources we read say, marks what has no definition, and suggests what to write so that two parties picture the same goods.

Two market words, not standard terms

The quality table of SNI 01-3946-1995, as quoted by Yani et al. (JIPI, 2022) and read 22 Oct 2026, splits copra into grades A-I, A-II, B and C. The words white and run-of-mine are not in that table. We have not checked whether that SNI is still in force.

So you cannot hold a seller to either word. They mean something only once they are written down.

What is white copra?

It depends on who is speaking. Three sources we read use the word for different things.

Source	Region	What is called white	The comparison
Antara Ambon, 24 Aug 2015	North Maluku	Sun-dried copra	Smoked copra, dark brown to black
Sultan et al., SNP2M 2017	Selayar	Oven-dried copra	Smoked copra
Agustini et al., Agrointek 2014	Madura (lab trial)	Copra from indirect drying	Sun drying and smoking

All read 22 Oct 2026. The years and places differ, so do not infer one meaning for all of Indonesia. If a supplier writes “white”, your first question is: sun-dried or oven-dried?

White does not mean dry

Colour is not moisture. The oven trial in Selayar recorded 9.54 to 10.52 per cent moisture in its white product after 25 hours at 40 to 50 °C. That is one machine and one test. The lesson still holds: copra that looks pale still has to be measured.

Agustini et al. found the reverse in a lab dryer. Temperature and time that were too high turned the copra brown, not white. So colour is shaped by the drying route and is not a mirror of moisture.

Smoked or black copra

The 2015 Antara report says smoked copra in North Maluku is dark brown to nearly black, and buyers rate it as lower quality. The Selayar paper says smoked copra carries soot on its surface. Collectors like it less, so it sells for less.

A note for buyers: smoke odour and soot may or may not be acceptable to your end buyer. Ask first.

Run-of-mine copra (kopra asalan)

We found no written definition of kopra asalan in the standards or papers we read on 22 Oct 2026. The field usage we noted: mixed copra that has not been sorted or separated by type. Two sellers may use the word for different goods.

If a supplier cannot write the definition, the word has no meaning you can hold.

Why prices differ, and which figures to use

Two of the sources above mention a price gap. The 2015 Antara report gives about Rp4,000 per kg for smoked copra and over Rp8,000 per kg for sun-dried copra in North Maluku. The Selayar paper says oven-dried copra generally sells at three times black copra.

Do not use those figures as today’s price. The years are old, the place is single and the delivery basis is not stated. Use them only as a direction: buyers do price by drying route. For how to read a dated price, see the note on the copra price today.

What to write so the word does not mislead

Replace the name with features you can check. Some sellers we read publish numbers instead of type names. As read on 22 Oct 2026:

• SMN Indonesia lists maximum moisture of 6 per cent, with defect limits of 0 per cent green, 2 per cent burnt and 5 per cent smoky.
• AGRIO COCO splits copra into three lines with maximum moisture of 5, 6 and 8 per cent.
• Kora, one of the producers discussed, lists a lower-moisture copra (max 6 %) and a smoke-dried line (max 8 %) on its product page. The figures are on the copra from Kora page.

These are specification claims from each page, not lot test results, and none names a measuring method. The figures are therefore not equivalent.

For the contract, write five things: the drying method, the moisture limit and how it is measured, the foreign matter limit, the defect limits (mould, burnt, smoky), and whether the copra is sorted before dispatch. Sample wording is in the note on the copra purchase contract. Questions for the supplier are on the supplier evaluation page, and the glossary is on field terms.