Product
The 5 kg cocopeat block, a buyers guide
The 5 kg compressed block is the format most cocopeat moves in internationally. This guide covers why it is compressed, what arriving material asks of your team, and what to settle before an order is priced.
Last reviewed 10 August 2026
Who this is written for
- Importers
- Substrate manufacturers
- Commercial growers
- Distributors
What the format is
A rectangular block of cocopeat compressed under pressure into the 5 kg weight class, wrapped individually, then palletised or floor loaded for sea freight. Once hydrated the block breaks down into loose growing media.
It is supplied in both preparations. Low EC blocks have been through a washing step, high EC blocks have not.
Why it is compressed
Growing media is mostly air. Compression removes that air so a sea container carries material rather than volume, which is the single largest factor in the landed cost of an imported growing medium.
The trade you are making is straightforward. You pay less to move the material and more to handle it, because the work of turning a block back into a usable medium happens at your site rather than ours.
What arrival asks of your team
- Space to break down and hydrate blocks, which needs more floor area than the pallets themselves occupy.
- A water supply at the hydration point, and somewhere for the run off to go.
- People and time. Hydration is not difficult, but it is not instant either.
- A plan for the wrapping material once it comes off.
If any of that is a problem, look at the loose bagged format instead before you commit to blocks.
Packing and loading
Blocks are supplied wrapped, then either palletised and strapped or floor loaded, depending on what suits the destination and the unloading arrangements at the other end. Pallet pattern and wrapping specification are agreed per order rather than fixed.
Container quantity depends on the configuration agreed for your order. Request the current loading configuration during quotation.
What to settle before pricing
- Low EC or high EC, and whether you will buffer on arrival.
- The grading you expect, because it affects water holding and drainage.
- Palletised or floor loaded, and whether your unloading point can take pallets.
- Whether the block wrap carries your own artwork.
- The document set your destination requires.
Values that are confirmed rather than published
Block dimensions, expansion yield, moisture content, grading, units per pallet and units per container all depend on the material selected and the configuration agreed.
Agrorise does not publish a figure for this until it has been confirmed against your order. Where you see "Confirmed during quotation" on this site, it means the value depends on the material selected and the specification agreed with you, not that the information is being withheld.
Questions buyers ask
Answers to the questions that come up most often on this topic. Where a value depends on your order, the answer says so rather than quoting a figure that would not hold.
What is a 5 kg cocopeat block?
A rectangular block of cocopeat compressed into the 5 kg weight class, wrapped individually, then palletised or floor loaded for sea freight. Once hydrated the block breaks down into loose growing media. It is supplied in both preparations, washed low EC and unwashed high EC.
Why is cocopeat compressed into blocks?
Growing media is mostly air. Compression removes that air so a sea container carries material rather than volume, which is the largest single factor in the landed cost of an imported growing medium. The trade you are making is straightforward: you pay less to move the material and more to handle it, because turning a block back into a usable medium happens at your site rather than ours.
What do I need in place before a container of blocks arrives?
Floor space to break down and hydrate blocks, which needs more area than the pallets themselves occupy. A water supply at the hydration point, and somewhere for the run off to go. People and time, because hydration is not difficult but it is not instant either. And a plan for the wrapping material once it comes off.
How much does a 5 kg cocopeat block expand?
Confirmed during quotation. Expansion yield depends on the material selected and on how it is hydrated, so a figure published ahead of that describes one batch under one method rather than what will arrive for you. Ask for it in the quotation and it will be addressed against the material being offered.
How many blocks fit into a container?
Confirmed during quotation. Container quantity follows from the format, the pallet pattern, the wrapping and whether the load is palletised or floor loaded, and those are agreed for your order rather than fixed in advance.
What should I settle before asking for a price?
Low EC or high EC and whether you will buffer on arrival. The grading you expect, because it affects water holding and drainage. Palletised or floor loaded, and whether your unloading point can take pallets. Whether the block wrap carries your own artwork. And the document set your destination requires.
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