How agarbatti are made
An incense stick starts as a thin bamboo splint. A paste of charcoal or wood powder and a sticky plant binder is rolled around most of its length, by hand on a board or by machine, and the stick is dried. This unperfumed stick is called a raw or blank batti.
Fragrance then goes in one of two ways. In a masala stick, aromatic resins, herbs, wood powders and oils are mixed into the paste before rolling, so the coat is thicker, often grainy and brown. In a dipped stick, the blank is soaked in a fragrance oil diluted in a carrier solvent and dried again. Dipped sticks are cheaper and the fragrance range is wide, but the scent sits on the surface and fades faster.
Rolling, perfuming and packing are often done in different units. Bamboo splints have long been bought in as well as made in India; in June 2020 the government raised the import duty on round bamboo sticks for agarbatti from 10% to 25% to support Indian bamboo. Ask your supplier where the sticks, the rolling and the perfuming come from, because the inspector visits the unit that packs and may never see the others.
What we check on incense sticks
| Check | How it is checked | What fails |
|---|---|---|
| Stick length and coated length | Ruler on sampled sticks from several packs; uncoated handle length measured | Short sticks, coat ending too low, bare tips |
| Straightness and diameter | Sticks rolled on a flat table; diameter checked with a caliper | Bent or bowed sticks, thick and thin sections |
| Coat adhesion | Sticks flexed lightly and tapped; inside of the pack checked for loose powder | Coat cracks, flakes or slides off the bamboo |
| Fragrance | Unlit and lit sticks smelled against the retained master, by variant | Weak, different or mixed-up fragrances; two scents in one pack |
| Burn screen | A set of sticks per variant lit in still air, timed to the end | Sticks going out, burn time outside the agreed range, sparking, heavy smoke |
| Ash | Watched during the burn | Ash that drops in hot chunks or curls off while glowing |
| Moisture and mould | Sticks bent and smelled; white or green growth looked for along the coat and inside packs | Soft, damp or musty sticks; visible mould |
| Oil staining (dipped) | Inner wrap and outer box checked for oil marks | Oil soaked through to printed boxes |
| Count and weight | Sticks counted in sampled packs; net weight where declared | Fewer sticks or less weight than printed |
Common incense stick (agarbatti) defects and how they are classed
| Defect | Typical cause | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Visible mould in packs | Sticks packed damp or stored in a humid room | Critical |
| Glowing chunks falling from the stick | Coat too thick or poorly bound | Critical |
| Wrong fragrance in a labelled pack | Mix-up at perfuming or packing | Major |
| Sticks going out before the end | Too much resin or moisture, uneven coat | Major |
| Short count or weight | Hand packing without checks | Major |
| Broken sticks above the agreed rate | Brittle bamboo, loose packing | Major |
| Oil stain on retail box | Dipped sticks packed before drying | Minor or major by size |
| Slight bend within the sample | Natural bamboo | Minor |
Your defect list decides the final class. Agree a breakage allowance per pack in advance, as a few broken sticks are common in hand-packed boxes.
Market rules for incense sticks
- EU general safety. Incense must be safe under the GPSR, with the product, maker and EU operator identified, and with the warnings a buyer needs to use it safely.
- EU hazard labels. Whether CLP hazard labels or allergen statements apply depends on how the product and its fragrance are classified. Ask your formulator for a safety data sheet and your compliance adviser for the label; we check the label on the goods against it.
- California. Some buyers ask for a Proposition 65 assessment of the smoke and ingredients and a warning if needed.
- Origin and quantity. Each pack shows the country of origin and the net contents, as count or weight. See origin labelling.
Claims such as "natural", "charcoal-free" or "hand-rolled" are your claims, so ask the supplier for the formula and visit the rolling unit if the claim matters to you.
Packing, transit and your purchase order
Sticks break when packs are loose and cartons are crushed, and they go mouldy when sealed damp. The inspector checks that packs are filled firmly, that inner boxes sit tight in the master carton, that dipped sticks have dried before wrapping, and that cartons are stored off the floor in a dry room.
- Masala or dipped; stick length, coated length and diameter.
- Burn time range per stick and how it is measured.
- Fragrance list with a retained master sample for each.
- Sticks per pack or net weight, and the breakage allowance.
- Maximum moisture, drying time before packing and desiccant use.
- Label artwork, warnings and the safety data sheet behind it.
Cones and bambooless sticks have their own risks: see dhoop and incense cones.