Indonesian Vegetables MOQ & Lead Times: 2025 Guide

A practical, field-tested plan to move 2–4 pallets of mixed Indonesian vegetables by reefer LCL in 2025. We cover realistic MOQs, consolidation windows ex-Jakarta/Surabaya, lane-specific lead times, temperature setpoints, pre-cooling, documents, and when to choose air instead.

We turned three different buyers’ 2-pallet trial orders into stable weekly movements in under 90 days using one repeatable system. If you’re asking, can I ship vegetables LCL from Indonesia without gambling on shelf life or budgets, the answer in 2025 is yes. But it only works if you build around lane realities, not wishful thinking.

Here’s the system we use at Indonesia-Vegetables, and the exact numbers we’ve seen hold up ex-Jakarta and Surabaya.

The 3 pillars of reefer LCL success in 2025

Pick the right temperature band. Don’t cram warm-sensitive SKUs with 0–2°C items and hope for the best. Build two mixes depending on the lane.

Cold mix at 0–2°C. Works for Carrots, Beetroot, Red Radish, and Baby Romaine if vacuum or forced-air cooled.
Moderate mix at 5–7°C. For short lanes only. Works for Japanese Cucumber (Kyuri), Red Cayenne Pepper, and sometimes Purple Eggplant if transit is under a week. We don’t put Tomatoes below 10°C. Ever.

Respect consolidation windows. Reefer LCL exists, but it isn’t daily. Jakarta is usually weekly. Surabaya is often biweekly. Your cargo has to be cold, documented, and released before the cut-off. Miss it, and your “3–5 days” becomes “8–12.”
Build traceability into your pallet. Mix SKUs, but not chaos. Limit to 3–5 SKUs per pallet, label every layer, and log temperatures from farm to unpack. Two degrees of sloppiness at origin cost you four days of shelf life on arrival.

Is reefer LCL available out of Indonesia in 2025?

Yes. Ex-Jakarta (Tanjung Priok) there are weekly cold-chain consolidations to Singapore and transshipment hubs. Ex-Surabaya (Tanjung Perak) we see 2–3 sailings per month. Capacity has improved in the last six months as feeder reliability returned, though Europe lanes still feel Red Sea diversions.

What’s the minimum for reefer LCL from Jakarta or Surabaya?

In our experience, plan around the greater of 2 pallets or 3–5 CBM as the minimum chargeable. Typical trial builds we run:

2 pallets. 1.8–2.2 CBM per pallet at 1.6–1.8 m height. Chargeable 4–5 CBM total.
3–4 pallets. 6–9 CBM. Better cost per kg and more schedule flexibility.

If your forwarder quotes “1 pallet OK,” check the minimum charge and reefer premium. You may still pay 3–4 CBM.

How long does it take to Singapore, Dubai, or Europe?

These are realistic door-to-door windows we plan against for reefer LCL, including consolidation and deconsolidation. Port-to-port can be faster, but LCL adds dwell.

Jakarta to Singapore. 7–10 days door. 2–4 days on water. Consolidation and clearance often take the rest.
Surabaya to Singapore. 8–12 days door. Add 1–2 days vs Jakarta.
Jakarta to Dubai (Jebel Ali). 18–24 days door. 12–16 days on water via Southeast Asia hub. Suitable for roots and hardy items.
Jakarta to Rotterdam. 35–45 days door. Ongoing Red Sea reroutes add 5–10 days vs historical norms. Only viable for long-life roots and alliums with the right precooling and spec. Leafy and warm-sensitive produce should go by air for Europe.

Week 1–2: Validate your plan before you buy a single carton

Can I mix multiple SKUs in one reefer LCL and what temperature setpoint works?

Yes, but design within a band. We use two playbooks:

Cold band at 0–2°C, 95–100% RH. Carrots, beetroot, radish, romaine that’s vacuum- or forced-air cooled. We add data loggers to at least 20% of pallets.
Moderate band at 5–7°C, 90–95% RH. Cucumbers and peppers for short lanes. We exclude tomatoes and set expectations for eggplant quality beyond 7 days.

Mixing tomatoes at 10–12°C with leafy greens at 0–2°C in the same box is a recipe for either chilling injury or rapid decay. Split shipments when the basket spans both bands.

What pre-cooling and packaging are required?

Pre-cool to the target setpoint before consolidation. Leaving warm produce to “cool down in the reefer” shortens life. Leafy greens should be vacuum cooled within 60 minutes of harvest if possible. Forced-air cooling is our backup.
Cartons. Use ventilated, stackable cartons. Leafy greens do well with micro-perf liners. No loose ice in LCL. Gel packs are fine if sealed.
Palletization. 1100×1100 mm pallets are common ex-Indonesia. Keep height at 1.6–1.8 m to preserve airflow. Corner boards and vented stretch wrap help.
Ethylene. Don’t co-load ethylene producers like tomatoes with sensitive items. If you must, use ethylene scrubbers and physical separation, but we prefer to keep them off the same consolidation.

Properly palletized mixed cold-band vegetables with ventilated cartons, corner boards, and vented wrap in a chilled staging area, temperature logger attached.

How many SKUs per pallet is practical?

Three to five. More than that complicates traceability, inspections, and claim handling. Label per layer with SKU, lot, harvest date, and net weight. You’ll thank yourself during clearance.

Documents and inspections you’ll need

Commercial invoice and packing list with HS codes and scientific names.
Phytosanitary Certificate from Indonesian Quarantine. Allow 1–2 working days. We book inspection as we pre-cool.
Certificate of Origin if you’re claiming FTA benefits.
Import permits. Singapore SFA permits are mandatory. UAE and EU have their own registration and pre-alert rules.
Advance cargo data. Europe is rolling ICS2 requirements across 2024–2025. Make sure product descriptions are specific, not just “vegetables.”

Need help mapping your SKU list into a temperature band and paperwork path? If you want a sanity check and a consolidation date, Contact us on whatsapp.

Week 3–6: Build your MVP shipment (2–4 pallets)

Start with the destination and shelf life you need, then back into SKUs and setpoint.

Singapore trials. Aim for 5–7°C with Japanese Cucumber (Kyuri) and Red Cayenne Pepper. Keep total dwell tight by booking the earliest consolidation window. We avoid eggplant if the total door time might exceed a week.
Dubai trials. Ship at 0–2°C. Use roots and hardy leafy. Carrots, Beetroot, Red Radish, and vacuum-cooled Baby Romaine perform consistently over 18–24 days door.
Europe trials. Go roots and alliums only at 0–2°C. If your assortment demands Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, or eggplant, choose air for the fresh program. We don’t sugarcoat this.

Realistic per-SKU MOQs we work with on LCL trials:

Roots and alliums. 200–400 kg per SKU. Efficient to pack, easy to cool, minimal handling risk.
Leafy. 100–200 kg per SKU with strict cooling. More than that increases temperature risk.
Warm-sensitive SKUs. 150–300 kg per SKU, but only on short lanes.

We also include at least one temperature logger per pallet and a consolidated QA sheet that ties to carton labels. Small habit. Big leverage.

Week 7–12: Scale and optimize

This is where buyers either lock in a weekly rhythm or stay stuck in sporadic trials.

Fix a consolidation day. For Jakarta, we like Friday cargo ready, Monday ETD. Align harvest and cooling backwards from that. Surabaya often needs a longer runway.
Tweak the pallet mix. As you learn, move borderline SKUs off sea or onto a different band. For example, we’ve pulled eggplant off 5–7°C Singapore movements in the hotter months and replaced it with peppers to maintain arrivals.
Strengthen QA. Pre-shipment pictures of pallet cores, cooling logs, and carton weights reduce disputes to near zero. Simple and boring wins here.

When is air freight better than reefer LCL?

Under 400–500 kg total. Air often wins on true landed cost per kg when the LCL minimum charge bites.
Shelf life under 10 days on arrival. Romaine without vacuum cooling, tomatoes for premium retail, eggplant into the GCC in summer. Air it.
Time-sensitive promotions or retail windows. A 48-hour miss by sea can wipe out the margin you thought you saved.

We use a rough rule of thumb: air is 3–6x the cost of sea LCL per kg, but for small weights or short-life SKUs, it’s the only way to keep sellable days.

The 5 mistakes that kill LCL vegetable trials

Mixing temperature bands in one box. Compromise temperatures punish at least one SKU. Split the shipment or change the basket.
Skipping pre-cooling. Reefer containers are for maintaining temperature, not pulling heat out of warm produce.
Over-palletizing. 2.0 m tall pallets look efficient, then suffocate the core. Cap at 1.6–1.8 m and keep vents aligned.
Documentation afterthoughts. Late phyto or vague product descriptions trigger holds. Book inspection early and use precise names.
Betting on Europe for leafy via sea. Current diversions add too many days. Go roots by sea. Go leafy by air.

Quick answers to the questions we get most

Is reefer LCL available for fresh vegetables out of Indonesia in 2025? Yes. Weekly ex-Jakarta to regional hubs and transshipment. Surabaya is usually biweekly.
What is the minimum pallet count or volume? Budget for 2 pallets or 3–5 CBM as a minimum charge. More volume improves economics.
Can I mix multiple SKUs in one reefer LCL? Yes, within one temperature band. 0–2°C for roots/leafy with proper pre-cooling. 5–7°C for short-lane cucumbers/peppers.
What temperature setpoint works for mixed SKUs? 0–2°C for roots and vacuum-cooled leafy. 5–7°C for short-lane cucumbers/peppers. Avoid chilling-sensitive tomatoes below 10°C.
Pre-cooling and packaging? Vacuum or forced-air cooling, ventilated cartons, micro-perf liners for leafy, no loose ice, 1100×1100 mm pallets at 1.6–1.8 m height.
When is air better? Small weights, short shelf life, or premium SKUs for Europe and the Middle East.
Documents? CI, PL, Phytosanitary Certificate, COO if applicable, import permits, and timely advance cargo data, especially for EU ICS2.

If you’re ready to map a 2–4 pallet trial against an actual sailing window, we can help you pick SKUs, setpoint, and paperwork in one call. Questions about your project? Call us. Or browse the full range and shortlist SKUs here: View our products.