01
Heat
Hardwood carbon reaches intense temperatures for a real sear and crust.
FIVE marabu charcoal — premium lump charcoal
Hotter · Longer · Cleaner
Premium marabu lump charcoal: dense, slow-burning, made for when the fire has to last.
Origin
From invasive thorn to the perfect fire.
Marabu is a thorny shrub that invades fertile farmland. Its wood is so dense that it makes one of the best charcoals in the world. Every sack of FIVE gives a field back to farming.
01 — The bush02 — The charcoal
Our name is our promise
One fire.
Five virtues.
Every piece is graded on the five things that matter when you cook over fire. Keep scrolling.
Our name is our promise
One fire.
Five virtues.
Every piece is graded on the five things that matter when you cook over fire. Keep scrolling.
01 / 05
Heat
Hardwood carbon reaches intense temperatures for a real sear and crust.
02 / 05
Burn time
Burns slow and even: one load lasts a long service or a full cook.
03 / 05
Cleanliness
Little smoke, few sparks and no chemical additives: just wood and fire.
04 / 05
Density
Heavy, hard pieces that don't crumble and leave very little ash.
05 / 05
Origin
100% marabu, harvested to reclaim farmland. Nothing else in the sack.
FIVE vs. ordinary charcoal
Heat
More heat from every kilo you burn.
A faster sear and a perfect crust, without drying the meat inside.
FIVE 7,450 kcal/kg· Ordinary charcoal ≈6,000 kcal/kg
Purity
of a sack of ordinary charcoal isn't pure charcoal.
Steady embers that don't fade mid-service. You pay for charcoal, not filler.
FIVE >75% fixed carbon· Ordinary charcoal 65–70%
Smoke
Almost four times less smoke on the grill.
Clean flavor: meat tastes like meat, not bitter smoke.
FIVE <8% materia volátil· Ordinary charcoal ≈30%
Label
of ordinary charcoal sacks don't state their origin correctly.
If you don't know what wood you're burning, you don't know what reaches your food.
FIVE 100% marabu· Ordinary charcoal 89% mislabeled
Legality
of ordinary charcoals are at high risk of coming from illegal wood.
Mangrove charcoal, banned in many countries, strips coastlines. FIVE clears invaded land.
FIVE traceable· Ordinary charcoal 61% high risk
Marabu: reference values from Josper's marabu charcoal spec sheet, to be replaced by FIVE's own lab results. Ordinary charcoal: typical values for charcoal made at ~400 °C (FAO) and ~25 kJ/g for cooking charcoal (T. Reed), via Bioenergy Lists. Labeling and legality: WWF analysis of 36 barbecue charcoals (2018).
Light it
once.
It burns all
night long.
Made for wood-fired kitchens, charcoal ovens, backyard grills and anyone who takes fire seriously.
Process · How good charcoal is made
01
Harvest
Marabu is cut by hand in invaded fields. It all starts here: a very dense wood that becomes a heavy, long-lasting charcoal.
820–840
kg/m³: dry density of marabu wood
02
Loading the kiln
The wood is stacked tightly inside the brick kiln: thick pieces in the middle, thin ones around them. Then the door is sealed with brick and mud, and air only enters through the vents.
8–10 years
service life of a well-kept brick kiln
03
Carbonization
With very little oxygen, the wood doesn't burn: it transforms. First it releases its water. From about 270 °C it gives off its own heat and turns into charcoal. It is complete between 500 and 700 °C.
Thick white smoke→Bluish→Almost clear
270→500 °C
carbonization temperature
04
Cooling
When the smoke turns blue and almost clear, every air inlet is sealed. The kiln cools for days: opening it sooner would rekindle the fire.
4 : 1
tonnes of wood per tonne of charcoal, in good practice
05
Sorting
The cooled kiln is opened and the lump charcoal is separated from fines and under-carbonized brands. It is never wetted: water lowers its quality.
Lump only
no dust, fines or half-burnt pieces
06
Shipping
It is packed dry in sealed sacks that protect it from moisture, ready for your grill or your restaurant.
Dry
and sealed until you light it
- 01 Harvest
- 02 Loading the kiln
- 03 Carbonization
- 04 Cooling
- 05 Sorting
- 06 Shipping
Products
One charcoal.
Three formats.
The same marabu charcoal, sorted and free of fines, always bagged: in 2.5 kg sacks for the home grill or 20 kg sacks for professional kitchens, shipped by full container.
Private label
Your brand, our charcoal.
We pack the same marabu charcoal under your chain's, store's or distributor's brand, in 2.5 kg or 20 kg sacks, by full container.
Hospitality · Retail · Distribution
Let's lightthe fire.
Tell us about your business and how much charcoal you need, or book a call with our team. We'll reply with prices, samples and shipping options.
Call · 30 min
Talk to our sales team.
Pick a day and time that suits you: Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:00 Panama time. You'll get the confirmation and call link by email.
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Marabu charcoal embers.Guide · Marabu charcoal
Marabu charcoal.
Marabu charcoal (also called marabú charcoal or Cuban marabu charcoal) is lump charcoal made from the wood of marabu, a thorny invasive bush. It is dense, burns slow, runs hot and makes little smoke: that's why grill masters, restaurants and importers look for it.
01 · At a glance
Marabu charcoal fact sheet
- What it is
- Single-species hardwood lump charcoal
- Wood
- Marabu (Dichrostachys cinerea), a thorny legume
- Calorific value
- 29–32 MJ/kg (≈ 7,000–7,600 kcal/kg)
- Fixed carbon
- ≈ 80% in well-carbonized charcoal
- Volatile matter
- 5–10%, under 0.05% sulfur
- Ready to cook
- 10–20 minutes after lighting
- Uses
- Grills, asados, charcoal ovens, kamado and barbecue
- FIVE
- 2.5 kg and 20 kg sacks, by full container
02 · FAQ
What people ask most
What is marabu charcoal?
It is lump charcoal made only from marabu wood (Dichrostachys cinerea). The wood is carbonized in kilns with very little oxygen: it loses its water and gases and becomes almost pure carbon, in heavy pieces that keep the grain of the wood.
Why is marabu charcoal so good?
Because marabu wood is very dense. That gives heavy pieces with high fixed carbon (≈ 80%) and low volatile matter (5–10%): more heat per kilo, embers that last longer and little smoke on the food. And as a single wood, it behaves the same sack after sack.
Where does marabu charcoal come from?
Marabu is native to Africa, India and northern Australia and reached the Caribbean in the 19th century. The best-known case is Cuba, where it covers about 20% of arable land and around 80,000 tonnes of marabu charcoal are exported every year, mainly to Greece, Spain and Portugal.
How long does it take to light and how long does it burn?
With a chimney starter, in 10–20 minutes the embers are covered in grey ash and the smoke is almost gone: you can start cooking. Thanks to its density and fixed carbon it burns slow and even, so one load lasts a long service or a full cook with few top-ups.
Marabu charcoal or mangrove charcoal?
Both are hard, high-heat charcoals; the difference is where they come from. Mangroves protect coastlines and mangrove charcoal is banned or restricted in many countries. Marabu is a farm pest: cutting it for charcoal gives land back to farming.
Marabu lump charcoal or briquettes?
Marabu charcoal is whole carbonized wood: it lights fast without chemicals, smells of wood and responds to air. Briquettes are charcoal dust pressed with binders such as starch, clay or lime: uniform shape, but more ash and less fire control.
Is marabu charcoal sustainable?
Yes, when it comes from invaded fields. Marabu regrows from the root and spreads over fertile land; harvesting it for charcoal turns a pest into a resource, and if the land is planted right away it produces again.
Where can I buy marabu charcoal wholesale?
FIVE sells 100% marabu charcoal, sorted and free of fines, always bagged: 2.5 kg sacks for home grills and 20 kg sacks for professional kitchens, by full container. Private label available. Ask for prices and samples on the contact page.
Sources
- B. Velázquez Martí and J. R. Dupuy Parra, Universitat Politècnica de València, 2025 (calorific value, fixed carbon and volatiles of marabu charcoal).
- OnCuba News, “Cuba encarga a China una cosechadora de marabú”, 9 Feb 2018 (20% of arable land, 80,000 t/year, destinations).
- FAO, “Industrial charcoal making” and “Simple technologies for charcoal making” (carbonization, briquettes and binders).
- WWF, analysis of 36 barbecue charcoals (2018) (mangrove charcoal and illegal wood).
- Farm and Fleet, “How to use a charcoal chimney starter” (embers ready in 10–20 minutes).
Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
Royal palms above a marabu thicket, Cuba.Marabu · The plant
A bush nobody wanted.
Marabu is a thorny legume that became one of the hardest farm pests to stop in the Caribbean. Its wood, on the other hand, is among the best there is for making charcoal.
01 · Profile
Meet marabu
- Scientific name
- Dichrostachys cinerea
- Family
- Legumes, like acacia
- Origin
- Africa, India and northern Australia
- Height
- Up to 7 meters
- Thorns
- Strong, up to 8 cm
- Flower
- 6–8 cm spike: lilac on top, yellow below
- Fruit
- Twisted pod up to 10 cm
- Wood
- Hard, dense and slow-burning
02 · History
How it took over the countryside
20%
of Cuba's arable land is covered in marabu.
20,000 km²
of farmland: almost the size of El Salvador.
80,000 t
of marabu charcoal exported by Cuba every year, mainly to Greece, Spain and Portugal.
19th century
It reaches the Caribbean from Africa, India and northern Australia.
1990s
In Cuba, the economic crisis leaves fields untended and marabu takes them over.
2011
Plans are made to export 40,000 tonnes of marabu charcoal to Europe.
2017
First shipment to the US: 40 tonnes, the first Cuban product sold there in over 50 years.
Today
It covers about 20% of Cuba's arable land.
03 · The problem
Why it won't go away on its own
- 01
Seeds that wait
Each plant produces huge numbers of seeds almost all year, and they survive a long time in the soil.
- 02
It regrows from the root
It also spreads by roots and suckers. Simply cutting and burning doesn't get rid of it.
- 03
It survives anything
It withstands drought and heat, so it advances where other crops give up.
04 · The solution
From pest to resource
What a farmer sees as a thicket of thorns, a charcoal maker sees as first-class firewood.
- 01
Invaded field
A thicket of thorns where nothing can be planted.
- 02
Harvest
Marabu is cut by hand and stacked like firewood.
- 03
Charcoal
In the kiln, that wood becomes FIVE.
- 04
Cleared field
If it's planted right away, the land produces again.
Every sack of FIVE is a piece of land reclaimed.
Sources
- Wikipedia, “Dichrostachys cinerea” (botanical description, distribution, 20,000 km² in Cuba).
- OnCuba News, “Cuba encarga a China una cosechadora de marabu”, 9 Feb 2018 (20% of arable land, 80,000 t/year, destinations, 2017 US shipment).
- IPS / Tierramérica, May 2011 (1990s spread, 40,000 t plan, planting after clearing).
- IUCN, Global Invasive Species Database, “Dichrostachys cinerea” (seeds, root regrowth, control).
Photos: Wikimedia Commons — Ángel M. Felicísimo (CC BY-SA 2.0), Godot13 (CC BY-SA 3.0), Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz (CC BY-SA 4.0), Christian Pirkl (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Embers and grill.Quality · The five virtues
Five stars, with proof.
Behind every star is a lab figure. Here's what each one means, and how you notice it when you cook.
01
Heat
Calorific value
29–32
MJ/kg · ≈ 7,000–7,600 kcal per kilo
How much energy a kilo releases as it burns. Marabu charcoal packs almost 1.5 times the energy of its own wood.
On the grill: Sears in seconds and keeps the grill hot with a smaller load.
02
Burn time
Fixed carbon
≈ 80%
in well-carbonized charcoal
It's the part that keeps glowing as embers after the smoke is gone. The higher it is, the longer the fire lasts.
On the grill: You top up less charcoal mid-service or mid-cook.
03
Cleanliness
Volatile matter
5–10%
and less than 0.05% sulfur
Volatiles are what comes off as smoke and flame when you light it. Fewer volatiles, less smoke on the food.
On the grill: After 10–20 minutes the embers are covered in grey ash and the smoke is almost gone: you can start cooking.
04
Density
Ash
2–5%
what's left at the end
A very dense wood gives heavy, compact pieces that burn down whole, without crumbling into dust.
On the grill: Less ash to empty and to block the air vents.
05
Origin
Species in the sack
1
marabu only
A single wood gives a predictable fire: the same ember size and the same heat, sack after sack.
On the grill: What you light today behaves just like what you lit last week.
Reference values for marabu charcoal from the Universitat Politècnica de València analysis (2025); they will be replaced by lab results for each FIVE batch.
Sources
- B. Velázquez Martí and J. R. Dupuy Parra, “Caracterización de maderas para producción de carbón vegetal en Guantánamo (Cuba)”, Universitat Politècnica de València, ADSIDEO program, 2025.
- Farm and Fleet, “How to use a charcoal chimney starter” (embers ready in 10–20 minutes).
Photos: Wikimedia Commons — Maxd2 (CC BY-SA 4.0), Pattaya Patrol (CC BY-SA 4.0), Tomascastelazo (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Charcoal sacks in a warehouse.Buying guide · FIVE vs. ordinary charcoal
What the sack doesn't tell you.
Briquettes, blends and wood scraps look alike on the shelf, but not on the grill. Here's how to tell them apart.
01 · Head to head
Lump vs. briquette
02 · Comparison
Three sacks, three fires
| FIVE charcoal | Briquettes | Mixed charcoal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Lumps of a single wood, carbonized whole | Charcoal dust pressed with a binder | Scraps of assorted woods, species not declared |
| What's in it | Marabu only | May contain starch, clay, coal, lime, borax or sodium nitrate | Unknown |
| Ash | Little | A lot | Variable |
| Lighting | Fast, no chemicals | Slower; some include accelerant | Uneven |
| Fire control | Responds to air: open it and it rises, close it and it drops | Steady heat that responds little | Pieces that die out next to others that burn up at once |
| When lit | Smells of wood | May smell of chemicals | Depends on what's inside |
03 · The standard
What the European standard measures
The EN 1860-2 standard sets the quality of barbecue charcoal in Europe. It looks at four things.
- 01
Fixed carbon
Decides how much smoke it makes and how long the embers last.
- 02
Ash
Reveals impurities: soil, stones or filler.
- 03
Moisture
Damp charcoal lights poorly and never reaches its top temperature.
- 04
Piece size
Small pieces burn too fast; huge ones choke the fire.
04 · In the store
How to spot good charcoal
- ✓
Big pieces, little dust
In transport, fragile charcoal can lose 10 to 20% of its weight as useless dust.
- ✓
No chemical smell
When lit it should smell of wood, not fuel.
- ✓
Grey ash in 10–20 minutes
A sign the embers are ready and the smoke is done.
- ✓
Species and origin on the label
If the sack doesn't say what wood it is, you don't know what you're burning.
- ✓
Dry, well-sealed sack
Moisture lowers the temperature and makes lighting harder.
Sources
- DIN CERTCO, “Certification for barbecue charcoal” (DIN EN 1860-2 parameters).
- FAO, “Industrial charcoal making”, ch. 10: briquettes and binders; 10–20% fines from handling.
- Burn Blog, “Lump charcoal vs charcoal briquettes” (declared ingredients of commercial briquettes; ash and air response).
- Farm and Fleet, “How to use a charcoal chimney starter”.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons — Unlimited Ed (CC BY-SA 4.0), Dati Bendo / European Commission (CC BY 4.0), Juliancolton (public domain).
A brick kiln in full carbonization.How it's made · From the bush to the grill
What happens inside the kiln.
Making charcoal means taking everything that isn't carbon out of the wood without letting it catch fire. Water, smoke and gases leave; what remains is a lighter, purer fuel with far more energy.
01 · Transformation
From wood to charcoal
Carbon
51%
in dry wood
80–85%
in charcoal, at 500–600 °C
Energy per kilo
19.5–20.2
MJ/kg in the wood
29–32
MJ/kg in the charcoal
The hotter the kiln, the purer the charcoal. That's why well-made charcoal gives almost 50% more heat than the wood it comes from.
02 · Yield
From 100 kilos of wood
≈ 20 kg
of charcoal come from every 100 kg of wood in a brick kiln.
The rest leaves as water, smoke and gases. That's why charcoal weighs so little for the energy it holds, and why the kiln is watched day and night: opening and closing vents decides how much air gets in. Too much, and the wood burns away to ash.
03 · The kiln
Why a brick kiln
- 01
Air under control
The vents open and close at will: the whole load carbonizes evenly, with no half-done pieces.
- 02
Clean charcoal
The wood never touches soil or sand. Less ash, no grit in the sack.
- 03
More charcoal per load
Less wood is lost to burning: more kilos of charcoal from every tonne of marabu.
- 04
Always the same
A fixed kiln repeats the same process batch after batch: today's charcoal behaves like last month's.
| Brick kiln | |
|---|---|
| Yield | ≈ 20% of the wood's weight |
| Cycle length | 9–25 days, load to load |
| Capacity | 50–130 m³ interior volume |
| Service life | 8–10 years with good upkeep |
04 · On your grill
From sack to fire
- 01
Keep it dry
Sack closed and off the floor. Damp charcoal is hard to light and runs cooler.
- 02
Light it without fluid
Use a chimney starter with paper or natural firelighters. Lighter fluid leaves a taste.
- 03
Wait for grey ash
In 10–20 minutes the embers turn grey: that's the time to cook.
- 04
Make two zones
Embers piled on one side for searing; the other side, with fewer, for finishing.
- 05
Put it out by closing the air
Without oxygen the embers go out. Leftover charcoal can be used again.
Sources
- B. Velázquez Martí and J. R. Dupuy Parra, Universitat Politècnica de València, 2025 (carbon and calorific value of marabu wood and charcoal).
- FAO, “Simple technologies for charcoal making”, brick kilns (yield, cycle, capacity, service life).
- Farm and Fleet, “How to use a charcoal chimney starter”.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons — Paulo rsmenezes (CC BY-SA 3.0 BR), Otávio Nogueira (CC BY 2.0), Jair Seibert (CC BY-SA 3.0), AlphaLemur (CC BY-SA 4.0).