Charcoal production and export is one of the nation’s biggest export earners. It doesn’t cost a fortune to set up and there is no shortage of market overseas. With the right mentorship, the business is simple to start and in huge demand that anyone can make money doing it.


Countries such as Germany, Belgium, Greece, the Netherlands, Italy, Poland, Spain, Bulgaria and UK are substantial importers of charcoal. As charcoal is an essential commodity in Africa, it is one of the most important sources of alternative fuel across Europe. Consumption is put at eight million tons of pellets annually. The largest exporters of charcoal in the EU are Poland, France, Holland, Germany and Belgium. They buy and sell to the rest of Europe. The volume of imported charcoal needed in Europe vary from one country to another. The total level of volume of exports from Nigeria cannot satisfy the demand in the European market. Although the market is served from a number of competitive countries, exports from Nigeria, and other African countries are highly ranked because of the hard nature of the charcoal. European importers prefer charcoal produced from hardwood in Africa which is heavy and strong. Competitors are Malaysia, Indonesia, Brazil and Thailand. The quality of charcoal depends on the wood species. Companies overseas can absorb any volume, that all the companies in Nigeria cannot meet the demand of the European market. Nigeria has vast forest area that can produce thousands of tons of charcoal annually. Though there are charcoal sources in Europe, most of them are made from softwood and are soft and light. Apart from that, they are bad conductors of heat and electricity, and burns without flame. Today, there is increased usage of charcoal. Besides being the fuel that cooks steaks, hotdogs, and hamburgers, a number of companies have discovered that charcoal can be used in certain metallurgical purifying treatments and as a filter to remove organic compounds such as chlorine, gasoline, pesticides, and other toxic chemicals from water and air.


Nigeria as a nation can benefit from intense activities to boost charcoal export as an economic driver and the low capital necessary to establish the business can help stimulate the local economy. The overhead is small and little investment is needed. If one is starting small, two equipments are needed - a scale and a moisture meter and storage area is needed near the production site.


An initial investment of N650,000 will cover the cost of product sourcing and landing the charcoal at the port. The money will be enough to acquire enough charcoal that will fill a 40-feet high cube container, weighing 23 tons. If the charcoal is sourced from the Middle belt, one could fill a 40-foot container with up to 27 tons, unlike the South West where only 23 tons would fill a 40-foot container. The rate of returns is high, one can make between 170 and 185 euro per ton-free on board (FOB) using the Lagos port for a case example.


Investment for Break Down:

Income for Charcoal = 175 Euro x 23tons = Euro 4025 x N215 = 865,375
Cost of 23 tons of Charcoal and Transportation = 650,000
Profit = 215,375



You can turn your investment ten times within one year and profit in each trip is between N215,000 and N270,000/Container. Where individuals cannot raise the initial capital, they can form cooperatives and do the business.

Contact us for more info.

Read more about getting quality charcoal at: http://exportfromnigeria.info/thread/1085/charcoal-sourcing?.U1p2fxg1h1s=undefined

Nice sweet write-up @red123, but are u or ur company into charcoal export? Have u done any business with people in these foreign countries? Nice one

Yes my Brother.
I do practise what I preach.

funding available for charcoal export only...08077881934