Lac Products Exporter to China — Seedlac, Aleuritic Acid, Lac Dye & Wax

Five products, five files

China grows some lac of its own, mainly in Yunnan, but it is also a large processor and industrial user, and India remains the volume origin. Each lac product is a different sale, with its own tariff line and documents.

Seedlac (紫胶)	HS 1301.90 · raw material for local bleaching, button lac and varnish cooking.
Shellac flakes (虫胶片)	HS 1301.90 · wood and instrument finishing, printing ink, electrical varnish, abrasive bonds; dewaxed bleached grades for pale films.
Lac wax (虫胶蜡)	HS 1521.90 (insect wax) · polish pastes, cosmetic wax blends, mould release, specialty lubricants.
Lac dye (紫胶红)	HS 3203 (colouring matter of animal origin) · textiles and inks; food or cosmetic colour only through the Chinese regulatory path.
Aleuritic acid (紫胶桐酸)	CAS 533-87-9 · usually Chapter 29 (for example 2918) — confirm · starting material for macrocyclic musks and specialty intermediates.

Always confirm the Chinese tariff code and customs declaration elements with the importer's broker before shipping — a wrong heading is the most common reason for a hold.

Seedlac and shellac flakes

The volume business. Chinese factories use flakes for furniture and musical-instrument finishing, printing ink and overprint varnish, grinding-wheel bonds, electrical insulating varnish, foundry and sealing-wax blends. Many plants bleach or cut in ethanol or alkali themselves, but still buy consistent Indian seedlac and flakes to save processing time. Dewaxed bleached grades go to pale films and, where the importer has a food-additive path, to confectionery glazing.

Lac wax

Lac wax is separated when shellac is dewaxed and sold as a hard insect wax for polishes, cream cosmetics, mould release and lubricants. Quote the melting range, acid value and residual resin, and keep wax on its own HS line — never mixed with flake on the same packing-list entry.

Lac dye

Lac dye is the natural red from the lac insect (laccaic acids). Textile dyeing and inks are the straightforward industrial uses. Unlike the EU — where lac dye has no E-number and is not the same as cochineal carmine (E 120) — China's food additive standard GB 2760 lists lac red (紫胶红). That means a food-colour path exists, but only for material specified and tested to the Chinese standard, with the importer's food-import registrations in place. For industrial lots, state "for industrial colouring, not for food" on the invoice and SDS.

Aleuritic acid

Aleuritic acid (9,10,16-trihydroxyhexadecanoic acid) is one of the main components of shellac, recovered by saponification. Chinese fragrance houses buy it as a starting material for macrocyclic musks such as ambrettolide and isoambrettolide; secondary uses include specialty polyesters and intermediates. This is a chemical sale, not a flake sale: buyers judge purity (by HPLC or titration), melting point, identification, ash and residual solvent — and expect a Chinese-language SDS.

Documents Chinese QA will file

Seedlac & flakes	Batch COA (colour, wax, acid value, loss on drying, insolubles) · SDS · use statement · certificate of origin
Lac wax	COA (melting point, acid value, residual resin) · SDS · use statement
Lac dye	COA (colour strength, insolubles, heavy metals) · SDS · industrial or food-use statement
Aleuritic acid	COA (purity, melting point, identification, residual solvent) · GHS SDS in Chinese and English · CAS on every pack

For all five: the Chinese product name and CAS number on the paperwork, a SHEFEXIL quality certificate for lac and its forms on the Indian side, and a certificate of origin. A single English "food grade" PDF will not clear aleuritic acid or lac dye.

Shipping and trade terms

• Ports: FOB Kolkata or Nhava Sheva to Shanghai, Ningbo, Qingdao or Shenzhen.
• Packing: seedlac and flakes in 25 kg bags; aleuritic acid and lac dye in fibre drums or lined bags; wax in cartons or drums. Keep flake away from heat — a hot container yard in a Chinese summer blocks resin quickly.
• Terms: CIF Shanghai or Ningbo for first accounts; FOB Kolkata once the importer appoints a forwarder. USD per kg.
• Samples first: Chinese buyers usually ask for a pre-shipment sample and a typical COA before opening an LC — a few hundred grams for acid or dye, a few kilograms for flake.
• Import side: the importer must be registered with Chinese customs and files through the Single Window with the tariff code and declaration elements (name, use and CAS where required). Import VAT applies; the duty rate depends on the exact heading.
• Trade agreements: there is no India–China FTA, but both are members of the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA). Some lines may qualify for APTA preferential duty with a valid APTA certificate of origin — ask the importer's broker to check.
• Invoice wording: state the real use — industrial coating, industrial colouring, or fragrance intermediate. A food-additive declaration without a GB basis is how containers get held.

What we supply to Chinese buyers

China is a priority market for our full lac range: seedlac and shellac flakes for industrial processing, lac wax, lac dye for industrial colouring, and aleuritic acid (CAS 533-87-9) in technical and refined grades — each with a batch COA. Tell us the product, grade, quantity and port when you request a quote.

Quick answers

Is there a trade agreement for Indian lac products entering China? There is no India–China free trade agreement, but both countries are members of the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA). Some tariff lines may qualify for APTA preferential duty with a valid APTA certificate of origin — the importer's broker should confirm the line.

Can lac dye be sold as a food colour in China? China's food additive standard GB 2760 lists lac red, so a food-colour path exists — but only for material specified and tested to the Chinese standard, with the importer's food-import registrations in place. Industrial dye lots should be declared as not for food.

Can one container carry shellac flakes and aleuritic acid? It is possible, but each product needs separate marks, a separate HS line and its own COA. Most chemical buyers prefer a dedicated aleuritic acid shipment.

This page summarises trade and classification practice as of September 2026. Confirm the live Chinese tariff and declaration elements, GB food and cosmetic lists, APTA coverage and India's export policy notes before shipment. It is not legal advice.