AL MUTALIB / THE OUD JOURNAL
A guide to agarwood origins, types, shapes and grades.
From a resin-rich piece of wood to a treasured daily ritual. Discover the names, places and traditions that help you choose your oud.
01 / THE BEGINNING
Oud, also called oudh or agarwood, is wood enriched with aromatic resin. Certain Aquilaria and Gyrinops trees form this resin in response to injury and other stresses. Wood from an agarwood-producing tree is not automatically fragrant oud.
That remarkable material takes many forms: a small chip warmed at home, a distilled oil worn close to the skin, or an ingredient in a composed fragrance. Understanding the difference helps you choose with confidence.
Discover the different types02 / PRODUCT TYPE
Explore oud wood, pure oud oil, finished perfumes and incense preparations. The format tells you how to enjoy it; the description tells you what is inside.
Natural, unperfumed oud wood releases the fragrance of its resin when warmed. Pieces, chips and slivers suit different burners and occasions. Check the stated origin, preparation and dimensions: a larger piece is not automatically a higher grade.
Oud oil is obtained from agarwood, commonly through distillation. Dehnal Oudh and its spelling variants describe this product family. The label should explain whether the bottle contains pure agarwood oil or an oil blend; a name alone cannot establish purity.
An oud perfume is a finished fragrance composed around an oud character. Attar and mukhallat products may combine several aromatic ingredients. Read the composition and maker’s description when comparing them with pure oud oil.
Oud muattar generally describes wood scented with fragrance oils. It offers a composed incense experience. Check which material forms the base and how it is fragranced, rather than treating perfumed chips and unperfumed agarwood as the same product.
Bakhoor is a broad incense term with several spellings. Depending on the maker, a product can contain scented wood or a blended preparation. Read its ingredients and use directions to understand the particular incense you are choosing.
Dukhoon names appear on composed incense preparations. Recipes and naming conventions vary between makers. Look at the product’s description and burner instructions; the name does not by itself establish a particular amount of natural agarwood.
03 / COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
From South Asia to Southeast Asia, these country names help you read an origin label. Scent varies by batch. This guide includes origins for learning, whether or not they are currently in our collection.
Hindi is a familiar trade name for Indian oud. Assam, Nagaland and Manipur can provide more specific regional information when supported by provenance. Read the aroma notes for the actual batch: one country contains many scent experiences.
Cambodian oud is also written Cambodi or Combodi. These names help with discovery, but the product should still state its source. Neither the country name nor the spelling guarantees one sweetness level, species, age or grade.
Thai oud identifies Thailand as the stated origin. Trat and Prachin Buri are regional names found in wood and oil descriptions. Compare their specific batch notes and preparation rather than assigning every Thai oud one fixed fragrance.
Indonesia includes several places associated with agarwood trading, including Kalimantan and Indonesian Papua. A precise regional description is useful when the supplier can support it. Product names and transliterations should be checked against the stated country.
Look for Malaysia in the source description, followed by the region where known. Borneo alone is less precise because the island spans more than one country. Keep the place of harvest separate from the retailer’s location or a commercial name.
Vietnamese oud describes material stated to come from Vietnam. A national label is only one part of the description: preparation, resin, treatment and aroma remain batch-specific. Specialist terms such as Kinam require their own explanation.
Laos, or Laotian, oud is a distinct origin description. A tree species found across several countries cannot independently prove where a particular piece grew. Ask for the batch’s source and judge its fragrance on its own terms.
Burmese and Myanmar oud refer to the same country in contemporary trading language. They do not identify one universal style or grade. Clear origin records, treatment information and specific aroma notes make comparisons more useful.
Sailani, Silani and Seylani are spellings encountered for Sri Lankan oud. Sri Lanka is within the native range of the agarwood-producing Gyrinops walla. A trade name alone does not verify the botanical species of an individual product.
Philippine oud is an origin name encountered in agarwood trading. Check the source statement and the actual material offered. A country description does not replace details about preparation, treatment, aroma or the seller’s grading criteria.
Bangladesh is part of the wider South Asian agarwood landscape. For products using this origin, look for a clear batch description rather than inferring species or quality from the country alone. Botanical distribution is background, not proof of stock.
Chinese agarwood includes material associated with Aquilaria sinensis, whose native range includes southeastern China and Hainan. Chen Xiang is an agarwood term, not proof of one country or grade. Check the product’s individual provenance.
Papua New Guinea is a country distinct from Indonesian Papua. If a label simply says Papua or New Guinea, ask the seller to clarify the location. The distinction matters when comparing sourcing claims and building a collection by origin.
04 / REGIONAL NAME
A region can add detail to a country name. Ask for the stated source of the batch: a trade name, a botanical species and a place of sale do not establish the same thing.
Assam is a regional name within India used in agarwood descriptions. It can add useful detail to Hindi oud when backed by batch provenance. The region does not, by itself, establish tree age, resin content or a single scent profile.
Nagaland and Manipur are Indian states; Imphal is in Manipur. These regional names are more specific than Indian oud. Check the exact source wording and avoid treating different place names as interchangeable product grades.
Trat is in Thailand. The name appears in oud wood and oil descriptions and should be supported by a country and source statement. When combined with a cut or grade, read each part of the product name separately.
Prachin is associated with Prachin Buri in Thailand. The place name helps identify a claimed origin; it does not define a universal fragrance or quality level. Compare the particular wood or oil and its preparation.
Kalimantan refers to Indonesian Borneo; Pontianak is in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Spellings such as Pontiyana or Puntiyana need clarification from the supplier. Do not assign a country from a similar-sounding commercial name alone.
Jayapura and Merauke are in Indonesian Papua. Moroki appears in trading descriptions and should be matched to supplier records before being treated as a precise place. Clarify whether a broad Papua label means Indonesian Papua or Papua New Guinea.
Borneo spans Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, so the island name needs a country for precision. Malino and Malinu also appear as trade labels. Ask what the seller means and use documented provenance instead of guessing from transliteration.
05 / SHAPE & CUT
Small pieces, slender cuts and sculptural forms. These descriptions follow trade vocabulary used by Al Mutalib; dimensions and naming conventions vary. Always compare the photograph and measurements of the product.
Muri describes small pieces in Al Mutalib’s published glossary. Related spellings appear in trade, but always compare the individual product. Small pieces can be convenient to portion; size alone does not establish the quality of the resin.
Ball Muri describes a more rounded form of small pieces in the brand’s trade vocabulary. Look at batch photographs and dimensions to see how they fit your burner. Rounded form is a shape description, not an independent grade.
Zura or Jura is used for medium pieces in Al Mutalib’s glossary. A second term in the name may describe a seller’s range or grade. Check dimensions, weight and preparation instead of assuming every Zura product has the same size.
Salla describes elongated, stick-like pieces in the brand’s glossary. These forms can be portioned according to the burner and the experience you want. Read any additional grade name separately and check the actual product measurements.
Baby Salla is a smaller version of the elongated Salla form in the brand’s terminology. It describes a cut rather than a fixed international dimension. Photos and measurements show what you will receive more clearly than the name alone.
Char describes flatter pieces in Al Mutalib’s glossary. Their form can affect how they sit on a burner and how you portion them. Compare their thickness and dimensions while assessing aroma and preparation separately.
Girmit is used as a hollow-form description in the brand’s trade vocabulary. Ask to see the actual pieces and check their dimensions. Shape and visual character do not replace information about origin, treatment and fragrance.
Digga describes small, irregular pieces in Al Mutalib’s glossary; Dugga is also encountered in product names. Confirm the individual product’s meaning, size and preparation. An irregular cut can still be assessed on its own aroma and resin.
Seyufi and related spellings occur in oud product names, sometimes alongside Salla. Usage varies between suppliers. Treat the term as a description to clarify with the seller, rather than assuming a fixed shape, country or grade.
06 / GRADE & DESCRIPTION
Super, VIP and royal names are seller descriptions, not a universal grading ladder. Aroma, resin distribution, treatment, preparation and provenance provide the context that a label alone cannot.
Yaumi appears in everyday-use ranges and product names. It describes a commercial positioning that needs the seller’s explanation. For a daily ritual, focus on the fragrance you enjoy, practical portions and the labelled quantity.
These familiar quality labels are defined by individual sellers. Double or Triple Super is not a universally calibrated step above Super across every brand. Ask what changes between the seller’s batches and compare their aroma, resin and preparation.
VIP and VVIP are commercial grade names. Their meaning depends on the supplier and the product range. A detailed explanation of batch selection is more informative than a premium label alone; compare like-for-like formats and quantities.
Khaas and Khaas Al Khaas appear in selected or special ranges. They do not form one international standard shared by all retailers. Look for the seller’s criteria and keep quality descriptions separate from a product’s origin or cut.
Malaki and Royal are used in commercial names and luxury ranges. The wording is not an independent certification of age or resin content. Ask which product characteristics support the description and judge the individual batch.
Sinking and floating describe a sample’s behaviour in water. Density can provide an assessment clue, but a water test alone does not establish origin, aroma quality or treatment. Consider the wood as a whole and ask what was tested.
Clarify what an age statement measures: the tree, harvested wood, resin formation or time since oil distillation. These are different periods. Qadim and Qadeem should come with an explanation instead of one unexplained age claim.
These specialist terms deserve a fuller explanation than “the highest grade.” Naming conventions differ, and Qi Nan research includes cultivated material. The name alone should not be used to infer wild origin, a fixed age or one country.
07 / THE OUD JOURNAL
Begin with the experience you want. Learn how to compare formats, understand sourcing and treatment, and bring the fragrance of oud into your everyday rituals.
Start with the format: wood or incense for a burner, and suitable oils or perfumes for wearing. Then compare batch-specific aroma notes, preparation, dimensions and quantity. A woody, sweet, earthy or leathery description is a sensory guide, not a country guarantee.
Use a burner intended for your product and follow its instructions. Begin with a small piece and gentle heat where adjustable. Keep hot burners on a stable, heat-resistant surface, ventilate the room and never leave burning charcoal unattended.
Keep oud wood dry and away from strong surrounding smells. Close oil bottles after use and protect them from direct heat and sunlight. Follow the product’s own directions, including whether an oil is intended for application to skin.
Both wild and cultivated trees can produce agarwood. Growers may encourage resin formation through induction techniques. Cultivated agarwood and wood scented after harvest describe different processes. Ask the seller to explain natural, wild and treatment claims clearly.
For wood, ask whether it is unperfumed agarwood or a scented preparation. For oil, distinguish pure agarwood oil from a fragrance blend. Neither a colour photograph nor a product name independently verifies purity, origin or a treatment claim.
Check grams for wood and the labelled volume or weight for oil. Do not assume every seller uses tola identically. Compare the same format and quantity before considering provenance and batch quality, whether you are shopping for oud in Dubai, elsewhere in the UAE or online.
THE OUD DICTIONARY
Different spellings. Regional names. Familiar trade terms. Use this directory to explore a topic, its collection or its story.
No matching topic. Try another name or spelling.
A LITTLE MORE CLARITY
For wood, oud and agarwood commonly refer to the same aromatic material. In a perfume name, “oud” can describe a fragrance character. Check the product format and composition.
There is no single country that guarantees the best choice for everyone. Compare the individual batch, its preparation and aroma, and how you plan to use it.
Colour and density are only parts of the picture. They do not independently establish aroma, origin or whether a piece has been treated. Ask how the seller assesses the whole batch.
Agarwood can form in cultivated trees. “Wild” describes a sourcing claim, while “natural” needs a clear explanation of material and treatment. Cultivated agarwood and wood perfumed after harvest are different products.
Pure agarwood oil and a finished perfume are different products. A perfume may combine an oud character with other notes and a carrier. Read the maker’s composition description.
Compare the same format and the labelled quantity, then consider provenance, treatment and batch quality. Wood priced per gram and oil priced per millilitre are not directly interchangeable comparisons.
YOUR STORY STARTS HERE
Choose your format. Follow your curiosity. Let the fragrance lead.
This guide combines botanical research with explained trade vocabulary. Grade and origin claims should be checked against the individual product.
