Furniture & Handicrafts

The standard timbers are teak (jati), mahogany, rattan, bamboo, mindi, acacia and plywood, most of it plantation-grown by the state firm Perum Perhutani (whatever its real origin, you will be told it is plantation-sourced). Custom pieces made to your own design are cheaper than in the West thanks to local labour, though certification and rising hardwood prices mean solid teak and mahogany are no longer simply cheap.

Jepara, on the north coast of Central Java, remains the furniture capital: over 5,000 mostly small workshops employing an estimated 75,000 people. Foreign nationals do set up export businesses here, but that needs a properly established company and the right visa, not a tourist stamp.

Legal timber export runs through the SVLK system (Sistem Verifikasi Legalitas Kayu). The exporting company must hold an SVLK certificate, then ship each consignment under a V-Legal Document, issued as a FLEGT Licence for European Union and United Kingdom destinations. From December 2026 the EU Deforestation Regulation adds a “deforestation-free” requirement on top. Check the import rules in your destination country before buying.

The main national trade fair is now IFEX (Indonesia International Furniture Expo), run by the HIMKI association each March; a rival fair, IFFINA+, is run by ASMINDO in September after an industry split.

If you are buying for export, take a moisture meter. Kiln-dried stock should read about 10–12%, and buyers often require a drying certificate. Inspect undersides and joinery too: many “antiques” are fakes or recycled timber dressed up, however fine the surface looks.

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