Red sandalwood price: per kg, per tree, and after 15 years
ఏపీ ప్రభుత్వ GO నం. 256/2015 ప్రకారం ఎర్రచందనం విలువ: గ్రేడ్ A ₹52 లక్షలు, B ₹38 లక్షలు, C ₹21 లక్షలు — టన్నుకు (అంటే కిలోకు సుమారు ₹5,200 / ₹3,800 / ₹2,100). 12–15 సంవత్సరాల చెట్టు 50–70 కిలోల కలప ఇస్తుంది — అంటే ఒక్క చెట్టు విలువ గ్రేడ్ను బట్టి సుమారు ₹1 లక్ష నుంచి ₹3.6 లక్షల వరకు. ఇవి అంచనాలు మాత్రమే.
The short answer: under Andhra Pradesh's government valuation benchmark (GO No. 256/2015), red sandalwood heartwood is rated at ₹52 lakh per tonne for Grade A, ₹38 lakh for Grade B, and ₹21 lakh for Grade C — that is roughly ₹5,200, ₹3,800 and ₹2,100 per kg. What a single tree is worth depends on how much heartwood it has formed and which grade it earns.
Grade-wise benchmark rates
| Grade | Per tonne | Per kg (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| A | ₹52,00,000 | ₹5,200 |
| B | ₹38,00,000 | ₹3,800 |
| C | ₹21,00,000 | ₹2,100 |
Source: AP Government GO No. 256/2015, used as the standard valuation reference for red sandalwood (Pterocarpus santalinus) in Andhra Pradesh. Market realisation at sale can be higher or lower depending on demand and channel.
What is one tree worth after 12–15 years?
Red sandalwood's value is in its heartwood — the deep red core that forms inside the trunk mainly from around year 8 onwards. A well-maintained plantation tree yields about 50–70 kg of heartwood after 12–15 years. Applying the benchmark rates:
| Grade | 50 kg tree | 70 kg tree |
|---|---|---|
| A | ₹2.6 lakh | ₹3.6 lakh |
| B | ₹1.9 lakh | ₹2.7 lakh |
| C | ₹1.05 lakh | ₹1.47 lakh |
Grade depends chiefly on heartwood density, colour and girth — which is why soil, climate and consistent maintenance matter so much. The Prakasam–Nellore belt of Andhra Pradesh sits in the species' natural Eastern Ghats habitat, where commercial plantations around Kanigiri have produced A-grade timber.
Per plot: the numbers at plantation scale
At standard 10×10 ft spacing, a 22-cent plot fits 90+ trees and a full acre fits about 420. That is how a one-time farm-plot purchase becomes a harvest measured in tonnes — see the worked 22-cent example on our home page, and how many trees fit per acre.
Why quoted prices vary so much
- Grade is everything — the spread between Grade C and Grade A is nearly 2.5×.
- Regulated supply — harvesting and sale are government-controlled, keeping legal supply scarce.
- International demand — furniture, traditional medicine and cosmetics buyers, mainly across Asia.
- Sale channel — auction results differ from private benchmark valuations.