Agarwood Identification
True agarwood is formed when a tree is injured, secretes resin, and undergoes aging—to identify it, first observe 'where the oil comes from and where the fragrance emerges.'
Agarwood is formed when a tree of the Thymelaeaceae family is injured, secretes resin, which combines with the wood and ages. The core of identification lies in the two words 'oil' and 'fragrance'.
What to Look For
- Oil Content and Resin Formation: Natural agarwood oil lines are natural and unevenly distributed; resin formation methods include living resin, mature resin, insect damage, and fallen resin.
- Sinking Grade: Sufficient oil content causes it to sink (sinking grade, semi-sinking stack incense, and non-sinking yellow ripe), but sinking is not the only criterion; qinan(kyara) often does not sink yet is more valuable.
- Fragrance: Natural agarwood is clear, sweet, cool, and penetrating; light when raw, strong when burned, with a lingering floral, fruity, and honeyed note; fakes have a rigid, pungent, or synthetic scent.
- Grain: Oil lines follow the natural grain of the wood, irregular; artificial fakes often have rigid textures.
Common traps
- Oil soaking / oil pressing: Low-quality wood injected with oil under high pressure; looks oily but is outwardly strong and inwardly weak.
- Tech agarwood / painted lines: Artificially drawn oil lines, passing off other woods as agarwood.
- Weight fraud: Lead injection to add weight and pass off as sinking grade.
For deeper producing regions and grades, seeAgarwood Study. For any high-priced transaction, it is recommended to rely on authoritative authentication and proof of legal source.
Agarwood Identification
The following Q&A is compiled from content on this site for quick reference; descriptions of incense material and medicinal properties are traditional understandings and do not constitute medical advice.
What should you look at first when identifying agarwood?
First check whether the oil lines are naturally distributed and whether the color is deep and restrained; then smell the fragrance changes at room temperature and after heating; then check the density and feel in hand. Genuine incense is valued for its "long-lasting and clear" fragrance.
What is the most common mistake beginners make?
Judging quality by the depth of color and size of weight makes one easy prey to oil soaking and oil pressing; also taking strong fragrance as best causes one to miss the clear, elegant true fragrance of high-grade incense. It is recommended to first establish a reference of genuine pieces.