Which tariff line does a South Africa importer declare for bulk shea butter?

Start from HS heading 1515.90. South Africa extends that heading to the national line recorded on this page (SARS Schedule 1 heading 1515.90). The importer, not the exporter's six-digit invoice code, confirms the full statistical number on the South Africa tariff for the entry date.

Does DoH make a Nigerian factory register before selling shea butter into South Africa?

DoH rules apply to the South Africa responsible person or importer for finished cosmetics or food, as this guide states. A factory that only supplies bulk drums should not assume it must open a local portal account. Finished-product notification stays with the buyer in South Africa.

Which documents travel with a Lagos container bound for Durban?

EMI Agro issues the commercial invoice, packing list and a Certificate of Analysis per batch. The carrier issues the bill of lading. Nigerian export files (certificate of origin and Form NXP) travel with the shipment. South Africa import filings — the customs declaration and any DoH notice — are the buyer's.

How long does a typical West Africa service take from Lagos to Durban?

Ocean time to Durban is shown on this page as a typical West Africa container range, not a booked schedule. Confirm the live ETD/ETA on the carrier tool when you book. Inland time from Durban to a warehouse in South Africa is extra.

Refined N-RBD · South Africa

Refined N-RBD shea butter for pharmaceutical excipient in South Africa

Refined N-RBD shea butter for pharmaceutical excipient shipped from Lagos to South Africa.

Refined N-RBD shea butter for pharmaceutical excipient is not grown in South Africa. EMI Agro presses it in Ibadan and loads at Lagos for Durban. DoH filings sit with the South Africa importer. The specification table below is what to write into the purchase order; quantity is confirmed on the quote.

Why this grade in South Africa

South Africa does not grow shea as a commercial crop. Refined N-RBD shea butter for pharmaceutical excipient is imported from West Africa. EMI Agro loads at Apapa and Tin Can Island for Durban (typical ocean range 12–22 days). DoH filings sit with the importer in South Africa.

Duty, documents and clearance live on the import guide for South Africa. Packs, quote basis and ports live on the supplier page.

Nigerian shea butter for South Africa

The commercial shea belt is West African, not South African. A Johannesburg or Cape Town plant is still importing the fat through Durban. South Africa is a destination, not a shea-growing country. Durban feeds Johannesburg; Cape Town is the Western Cape door. DoH applies the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act. EMI Agro works with 5,000+ women collectors in Kwara, Niger, Kaduna, Kogi. Johannesburg buyers usually take the inland haul from Durban.

Ask for a batch COA on a NIS 571:2013 basis: free fatty acid, peroxide value, moisture, colour and melting point. Reject lots that smell sharply rancid or pour like liquid oil at room temperature. DoH filings sit with the South Africa importer — they do not replace a COA.

Trial lots start at 5 tonnes; standard orders start at 20 tonnes. Send the request even if you need less — EMI Agro reviews every South Africa enquiry against current production of 40 tonnes per week of finished shea butter and can schedule rolling shipments. Lead time is Ibadan production plus ocean time to Durban. Quotes are EXW, FOB or CIF; each term prices different services beyond the butter.

What are you buying shea butter for in South Africa?

Two questions. We show the grade, the documents that usually apply and the next step — we do not invent a price.

Use

Quantity

Recommended specifications for pharmaceutical excipient

Recommended specification for refined n-rbd shea butter as a pharmaceutical excipient — parameters to write into a purchase specification on a NIS 571:2013 basis. EMI contractual targets are available on request; batch values sit on each COA. This is not a pharmacopoeial monograph.
Parameter	Target for pharmaceutical excipient	Why it matters	Test method
Free fatty acid (FFA)	Available on request	Purity and irritation risk in a topical base; the tight refined ceiling.	AOCS Ca 5a-40 / ISO 660
Peroxide value (PV)	Available on request	Oxidation products in an excipient fat.	AOCS Cd 8-53
Moisture and volatiles	Available on request	Water in an anhydrous ointment base.	AOCS Ca 2b-38 / ISO 662
Slip melting point	Available on request	Spread and set of the topical base.	AOCS Cc 3-25
Colour	Available on request	Batch-to-batch appearance of a cream or ointment.	AOCS Cc 13e-92
Unsaponifiable matter	Available on request	Identity; shea is characteristically high.	AOCS Ca 6a-40

How to import shea butter into South Africa

Duty, documents and clearance.

Shea butter supplier in South Africa

Grades, ports and a quote.

Refined N-RBD Shea Butter for Pharmaceutical Excipient Use

The full specification without a country overlay.

Frequently asked questions

Last reviewed September 2026 by EMI Agro Industries QC team.

Manufacturer-direct from Ibadan, Nigeria

Quote Refined N-RBD shea butter for South Africa

Name the grade, the volume and the discharge port. We reply with the document set and a current COA.

You have just read Refined N-RBD shea butter for pharmaceutical excipient in South Africa. The next step is a real lot from the factory that produces it — EMI Agro, with factory-direct pricing and a batch Certificate of Analysis.

Trusted manufacturer
EMI Agro Industries Limited (RC 9364495) presses the butter in Ibadan — we are not a trading company.
Competitive factory-direct prices
Quoted EXW, FOB or CIF — the buyer chooses. You pay the factory, not a chain of middlemen.
Export-ready supply
We ship to European Union, United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Southeast Asia, China, India, Middle East, Latin America. Load ports: Apapa (Lagos) or Tin Can Island (Lagos).
Documented lots
40 tonnes per week of finished shea butter, a Certificate of Analysis on every batch, NAFDAC registered and SON approved.

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