Everything you need to know about charcoal briquettes product means that this article will deep dive into product knowledge of this kind of goods. Charcoal briquettes are an innovation and developed products that changed the charcoal industry. If you are looking for this kind of product, you should understand the characteristics, benefits, advantages, and the process behind its creation. In this article, you will learn about anything you need to understand about charcoal briquettes products, whether you are an enthusiast for this kind of product or curious about it. This guide will tell you valuable information and a complete explanation of this type of charcoal product.
Charcoal briquettes are compact blocks or shapes made from charcoal fines or dust and mixed with adhesive. Charcoal briquettes are made from 2 primary ingredients: Charcoal dust, and adhesive like tapioca flour.
The more simple answer is, Charcoal briquettes also known as charcoal blocks also have a product identity, and that is the product has nice and clean shapes. If you visit a store, and you find charcoal with a block shape, hexagon, circle shape, etc. Then it will be guaranteed called charcoal briquettes. So charcoal briquettes means charcoal that is formed into nice shapes.
Charcoal briquettes are primarily used for alternative energy, same as the normal charcoal. But this product is also primarily used for grilling and it is well known in the middle east for smoking shisha/hookah.
This product is commonly used by grill and barbeque restaurants and is commonly used by shisha users around the world. Charcoal briquettes also started being used by general people for their outdoor grilling and barbeque process, this product awareness started to increase every year, especially from the Europe and Asia region.
Maybe it feels you may ask “What is charcoal briquettes advantage?” “What are its benefits?” Then several benefits make them a popular and a favorite choice for grilling and shisha such as:
Charcoal briquettes are known for their high and consistent heat, they can reach higher temperatures compared to other fuels. Allowing for efficient cooking and grilling.
This product is also known for its long burning time because it can burn longer than natural lump charcoal. This means you will save a lot of fuel, and save more cost by enjoying grilling or smoking shisha longer.
This type of charcoal is also known for its less ash compared to natural charcoal, this is one of the favorite reasons for grilling and shisha users, because of the less amount of ash so it will be easier to clean up and not disturb others.
Charcoal briquettes are easy to ignite, so you won’t start cooking without wasting time, it is also easy to carry and efficient.
Charcoal briquettes are typically manufactured to have a uniform size, shape, and color. The consistent appearance of the briquettes adds a sense of order and clean display to the cooking or the inventory setup.
Charcoal briquettes also have a catchy look because of their symmetrical shape so it looks more professional and it gives a sense of attention to detail. For shisha users, the display is one of the considerations for them because it also needs to look lovely when the briquettes are lightened up so it will have a glowing red light. It makes their eyes spoil and people who saw it.
What are the 6 primary benefits of charcoal briquettes, but that’s still more, the other benefits depend on what type of charcoal briquettes because each of them has a variant advantage and also has unique benefits.
Each type of charcoal briquette has a different material and different composition. So unlike the primary benefits, each of them has its characteristics and advantages:
This type of product is made from compressed wood dust that already becomes a bag of charcoal dust. This type is usually used for grilling, and it also has several advantages:
A. Hotter heat than any other types of charcoal
B. Smoky flavor
also known as plant-based types of briquettes, this product is made with the same process as the other briquettes, it also has some advantages such as:
A. Cleaner burning than hardwood
B. Neutral flavors
This type of briquette is the most favorite product in the europe and middle East. This product is made from coconut shell that burnt and becomes dust, this is some advantages that make coconut briquettes get the highest rank by the world consumer:
A. Have no ODOR/smell, favorite for grilling and shisha user
B. Have no smoke (can be used indoors)
C. Contain very less carbon monoxide
C. Minimum ash compared to others
D. Longer burning time compared to others
E. Have stable heat, which makes the food cooked well and evenly.
F. Enviromental friendly
G. Neutral flavor
H. Sustain quality, not easy to crack.
I. Emits a glowing red light, it makes a lovely display.
These are three types of charcoal briquettes that are popular among enthusiasts, while there are still several types of briquettes such as bamboo, rice husk, etc. This product type is not popular because the quality also not reaching the three top types of briquettes.
There are 6 primary specifications that you should pay attention to:
1. Moisture
2. Ash Content
3. Volatile Matter
4. Fix Carbon
5. Calorie
6. Chemicals or Natural
These 6 have always been the main standard of world buyers. And we will give you an explanation for each of the specifications.
Moisture (Water Content) gives an important effect on briquettes, the higher the water content, the more briquettes will be easier to die out. And on the display, the briquette shape will not be well tidy and it’ll be easily cracked. The best moisture for briquettes is the minimum, and the best it’s usually around 4%-7%.
Ash is an inorganic material left over from the burning of an organic material. The lower the ash content, the better the quality. The best ash content for briquettes is the minimum, and the best it’s usually around 1,8%-2,5%.
These are active substances that affect the pace of burning on briquettes. Still, the lower the volatility, the better the quality. because it is a factor for the long-lasting burnt. The best volatile is the minimum and the best it never surpasses 15%.
This is one of the advantages of charcoal briquettes that are not owned by charcoal in general, Fix Carbon. Fix Carbon is gluten so that not a lot of substance is evaporated. fix carbon is obtained from one of the processes for making charcoal briquettes, which is when mixing it with tapioca flour. Fix Carbon will make the heat stable, and fixing carbon is also one of the factors for long-lasting burn. But, fix carbon also provides other effects, fix carbon will produce a moisture and ash content. So, the best-fixed carbon, it’s usually around 78% to 85%.
Is a fuel property that states the energy content in the fuel. The higher the calorie, the hotter it will be. So, the calorie it’s different from the other specs, the higher the calorie, the better the quality. The best calorie it’s usually 7000 kcal until 7500 kcal more.
Briquettes mixed with chemicals will burn more easily and will emit vapors that can damage the body of people who inhale them. It’s not good for your BBQ and Sisha/Hookah. Even though the briquettes will light easier than the natural but can release harmful vapors when burned, posing risks to health when used for cooking or smoking
So as in addition, here is the simplification for the product specification standard:
1. Moisture (low)
2. Ash Content (low)
3. Volatile Matter (low)
4. Fix Carbon (around 78% to 85%)
5. Calorie (high)
6. Chemicals or Natural (Natural)
The specification is one of the factors for considering which type of charcoal you may like, by understanding this specification, you can easily choose which one is the best fit for your needs. But also it is necessary to emphasize that, the biggest factor for a long-lasting burning comes from the briquette shape and size. The bigger they are, the longer they burnt.
Is the gas toxic? Is there any expiration? Is the food toxic?
The short answer is no if you use natural products. And it can contain toxic gas if the charcoal briquettes are mixed with chemicals, this product same as the charcoal in common. You can see if the product is mixed with chemicals or not by seeing their packaging, normally you can see the logo warning on the package, briquettes that are mixed with chemicals are few and not as many as the natural product, so you do not have to worry.
This type of charcoal also contains carbon monoxide, same as the natural charcoal. But it is safer and has less gas, because of the filler. So your eyes will be protected and you will breathe better.
Charcoal briquettes are also safer because they have less ash content, so they will be safe for foods and your house from burning out. While filler like tapioca flour it’s safe and not containing any other gas or causing the food to become bad. This is the reason why shisha smokers love it as their smoke fuel, and also this product starting to reach the grill market because it gives more safety and still brings a high quality to their food.
When comparing charcoal briquettes to natural charcoal, it comes from different aspects.
Natural charcoal has a better natural smoky flavor compared to upgraded charcoal, but for effectiveness and efficiency, charcoal briquettes are a way mile more favorite than the natural. Because of its long-lasting, safety, less ash ease to clean, higher heat, evenly heat, and also it looks more professional in the eyes.
Ultimately, the choice between charcoal briquettes and natural charcoal for grilling depends on personal preference. While for shisha users, upgraded charcoal is their choice all day, it’s become their smoking fuel it because is safer and easy to use than the natural.
Then, at the extinguishing stage, 2 ways are often done:
Extinguishing charcoal by closing the air circulation, the extinguishing time is approximately 24 hours.
Extinguishing the charcoal with water, this method can speed up the extinguishing in a short time. Even though it’s fast, it can increase the water content of the items. And result in a decrease in quality.
Charcoal that has already died out is then filtered using a big filter tool. Usually, this process is done 2 times so that the charcoal is clean from the fiber and also to reduce the ash content.
This process functions to destroy the charcoal so that it turns out into dust. Usually is 3 mm in size after crushing. And for manufacture, the crushing process usually uses a special machine called a hammer mill machine.
This process involves mixing charcoal, tapioca flour, and hot water. This mixture is to make the charcoal harder so it can be shaped. This process also adds fixed carbon, which helps to bind the particles in the briquettes, making them stronger and more durable. The fixed carbon also reduces the volatile matter, which means that the briquettes burn more slowly and last longer. The fixed carbon comes from the adhesive properties of tapioca flour, which helps hold the briquettes together.
After mixing, the resulting mixture is put into a smoothing machine, to smooth the mixed results so that they are symmetric when printed. Usually smoothing is done 2 times so the briquettes will contain no crack. And can reduce little moisture/water content.
When it’s smooth, the wet briquettes are put into the printing press. Usually, the briquette shape is printed according to the shape that the buyer wants. Such as:
1. Cube
2. hexagons
3. Oval round/stick
4. Long Square
When finished printing, the briquettes will be cut according to the size required by the buyer.
Wet briquettes that have been formed will be dried using a special oven. This stage aims to dry and harden the briquettes because, during drying, the moisture content and ash content are reduced.
Charcoal briquettes typically have a uniform shape. The specific shape and size may vary depending on the manufacturer or brand. Here’s an explanation of the purpose behind the shape of charcoal briquettes:
Cube briquette is commonly used for shisha/hookah smokers, they used this because the cube is elegant and simple. Cube briquette is easy to bring and catchy for your eyes, and this shape is also starting to become the favorite option for grilling and home decoration for campfires.
The briquette cube has several common sizes (mm) that are often used:
-22x22x22
-25x25x25
-26x26x26
-28x28x28
and for each briquette size, the product quantity in the packaging will be different. If the packaging is to accommodate 1 kg of briquettes then:
22x22x22 = 96 pcs/kg
25x25x25 = 72 pcs/kg
26x26x26 = 64 pcs/kg
28x28x28 = 50 pcs/kg
2. Hexagon
There are 2 types of hexagon: 1) Hexagon finger 2) Hexagon barbeque
Hexagon finger is usually used for barbeque and shisha while hexagon barbeque is often used only for barbeque because the briquette has a long reach while it burns and a faster spread of fire, so the food will cooked evenly well.
Several sizes (mm) for hexagon finger, also the product quantity in the packaging. If the packaging is to accommodate 1 kg of briquettes:
20×35 = 94 pcs/kg
20×50 = 64 pcs/kg
Several sizes (mm) for hexagon barbeque:
50×50 = 72 pcs/kg
50×100 = 48 pcs/kg
50×200 = 24 pcs/kg
Flat briquette is often used for shisha/hookah as well because it’s catchy on the eyes and also easy to save. But flat size also affects the briquette burning time. Flat briquettes have a shorter burning time compare to cubes, because of their different size.
Commonly used size for flat briquette:
25x25x15 = 108 pcs/kg
Briquette Sigma is used for speeding up the spread of fire. Sometimes it is used for barbeque so it’s faster to cook, but a hole in a briquette also affects the briquette burning time.
Commonly used size for briquette hole:
26×36 = 40 pcs/kg
It’s a briquette that is normally used for barbeque. Same to the hexagon, the purpose is to make food cook evenly and to make a fire spreading easier. But some shisha users also like to use this type of shape.
and for each briquette size, the product quantity in the packaging will be different. If the packaging is to accommodate 1 kg of briquettes then:
20×35 = 94 pcs/kg
20×50 = 64 pcs/kg
We are a Private Label Manufacture/OEM Manufacture, we can produce coconut charcoal briquettes specifications according to your request. We can also make a custom coconut charcoal briquettes shapes and sizes, and also custom packaging with under your brand!
