The Thai rice CIF price per metric ton is the number most importers actually care about. FOB prices are nice for reading the news, but you can’t sell rice that’s still sitting in Bangkok. What matters is what it costs to land the rice at your port. We’re DThai Company Limited, a rice exporter in Bangkok, and we quote CIF to ports all over the world every week. This guide explains how the Thai rice CIF price per metric ton is built, what each grade costs right now, how freight and insurance change it, and how to get a firm CIF quote from us for jasmine, white, parboiled, glutinous or broken rice.
Table of Contents
What CIF Means for Rice Buyers
CIF stands for Cost, Insurance and Freight. When we quote you a Thai rice CIF price per metric ton, that price includes:
- Cost. The rice itself, milled, graded, packed and loaded at the Thai port.
- Insurance. Marine cargo insurance for the sea voyage.
- Freight. The ocean freight from Thailand to your named port.
What CIF doesn’t include: unloading at your port, import duty, local taxes, customs clearance fees, port storage and trucking to your warehouse. Those are on you.
Under CIF, the seller books the ship and pays for it. But the risk passes to the buyer once the rice is loaded on board in Thailand. That’s why the insurance is there. If something happens at sea, the insurance claim is yours to make. The official rules are set by the International Chamber of Commerce in the Incoterms rules, and every rice contract should name which version it uses.
Our guide on FOB vs CIF for rice import compares the two terms in detail.
How a Thai Rice CIF Price Per Metric Ton Is Built
Every Thai rice CIF price per metric ton comes from three pieces added together:
CIF price = FOB price + ocean freight per ton + insurance per ton
Let’s take each one.
The FOB price
This is the price of the rice loaded on the ship in Thailand. It depends on the grade, crop, broken percentage and packing. It moves every week with the market.
Ocean freight per ton
Rice ships in 20ft containers, usually about 25 metric tons each. So freight per ton is roughly the container freight rate divided by 25. If a 20ft container costs $1,000 to ship to your port, that’s about $40 a ton. If it costs $2,500, that’s about $100 a ton.
Freight depends on:
- How far your port is from Thailand
- How many shipping lines serve that route
- Whether the route needs a transshipment
- Fuel prices and seasonal demand
- Disruptions like conflicts or canal closures
Insurance per ton
Cargo insurance is usually a small fraction of the cargo value, commonly calculated on 110% of the CIF value. For most rice shipments it adds only a dollar or two per ton. Small, but it should always be there.
Thai Rice FOB Prices Right Now
Here’s where Thai rice FOB prices stood recently. These are guides, not quotes. Prices move weekly.
| Thai rice grade | Recent FOB price per metric ton |
|---|---|
| White rice 5% broken | About $460 to $468 (early October 2026) |
| Parboiled rice 5% | Close to white rice, often $460 to $480 in 2026 |
| Hom Mali jasmine rice | About $1,200 to $1,250 (August 2026) |
| Glutinous (sticky) rice | Above white rice, below Hom Mali |
| A1 Super broken rice | Below 5% white rice |
The world benchmark for Thai white rice is tracked monthly in the World Bank commodity price data. The FAO rice price monitor also follows Thai export prices against other origins.
For jasmine in more depth, see our guide to the jasmine rice price per ton. For all grades, see wholesale rice pricing.
Worked Examples of a Thai Rice CIF Price Per Metric Ton
Numbers make this easier. These examples use round, illustrative freight figures, not live rates.
Example 1: Thai 5% white rice to a nearby Asian port
- FOB: $465 per ton
- Freight: a short route, say $30 per ton
- Insurance: about $1 per ton
- CIF: roughly $496 per metric ton
Example 2: Thai parboiled rice to West Africa
- FOB: $470 per ton
- Freight: a longer route, say $80 per ton
- Insurance: about $1 per ton
- CIF: roughly $551 per metric ton
Example 3: Thai Hom Mali jasmine to the Middle East
- FOB: $1,220 per ton
- Freight: say $60 per ton
- Insurance: about $2 per ton
- CIF: roughly $1,282 per metric ton
Notice how freight matters a lot more for cheap rice than for expensive rice. An extra $50 freight is over 10% of the Thai rice CIF price per metric ton for white rice, but under 5% for jasmine.
When we quote, we use the real freight rate for your port that week.
What Makes the Thai Rice CIF Price Per Metric Ton Go Up or Down
The rice market
The biggest part of the price. Thai crop size, weather, new crop timing, government stock sales and demand from big buyers like the Philippines, Iraq and West Africa all move it.
Competition from India and Vietnam
Cheap Indian and Vietnamese rice puts a ceiling on Thai prices. In early October 2026, Indian 5% parboiled was around $378 to $384 a ton FOB and Vietnamese 5% white around $420 to $430. When the gap gets too wide, buyers switch origin and Thai prices soften.
The Thai baht
Rice is sold in dollars but paid for in baht at the farm. A stronger baht pushes dollar prices up.
Freight rates
Freight can change quickly. Disruption on major routes can add a lot to a CIF price in a few weeks.
Packing
Printed 5kg retail bags cost more per ton than plain 50kg bags. That flows straight into the Thai rice CIF price per metric ton.
Volume and contract length
Regular buyers on supply contracts get better prices than a one-off container.
CIF or FOB: Which Should You Buy On?
Buy CIF if:
- You’re new to importing and don’t have a freight forwarder
- You want one simple landed-at-port price to compare suppliers
- Your volumes are small to medium
Buy FOB if:
- You have your own forwarder with better freight rates
- You import large volumes and want control of the shipping
- Your country requires local insurance
Most of our first-time buyers start on CIF. It’s simpler. Some move to FOB later once they’ve found a good forwarder.
You might also see CFR (cost and freight). That’s CIF without the insurance. Some countries require importers to insure locally, so they buy CFR.
How to Compare CIF Quotes Properly
When you have several quotes, check these before deciding:
- Same grade. 5% vs 10% broken, new vs old crop, Hom Mali vs fragrant.
- Same packing. Bag size, bag type, printing.
- Same port. CIF to your exact port, not “main port” in the region.
- Same weight basis. Net weight or gross weight per ton.
- Inspection included? Who pays for SGS or similar at loading.
- Validity. How long the quoted Thai rice CIF price per metric ton holds.
- Payment terms. Letter of credit, cash against documents, or advance.
If one quote is far below the others, ask why. It’s often a lower grade, an old crop, or freight that isn’t really included.
Rice We Quote CIF
We quote CIF for every rice we sell:
- Thai jasmine rice (Hom Mali)
- Long-grain white rice, 5% to 25% broken
- Parboiled rice
- Thai white glutinous rice
- Thai fragrant rice
- Brown rice
- A1 super broken rice
See the full list on our rice for sale page.
Container Loads and Minimum Order
Our minimum order is one 20ft container. That’s around 25 metric tons of rice in 25kg or 50kg bags, or 1,000kg jumbo bags. A 40ft container takes more, but because rice is heavy it’s limited by weight, and road limits in some countries cap it further.
Details are in how many tons of rice fit in a 20ft container.
You can mix grades in one container, for example half jasmine and half white rice. We’ll quote a CIF price per metric ton for each grade.
How We Quote and Ship CIF
Here’s what happens after you ask us for a Thai rice CIF price per metric ton.
Step 1: Your request
Tell us the grade, packing, quantity, destination port and any certificates you need. Use our contact page or WhatsApp.
Step 2: Written CIF quote
We check the current FOB price and the freight rate to your port that week, then send a written CIF quote with the price per metric ton, the spec, packing, payment terms and validity.
Step 3: Sample and contract
We courier a sample. Once you’re happy, we sign a sales contract. Our contracts page explains our usual terms.
Step 4: Payment
Most first orders use an irrevocable letter of credit at sight. See our guide on the letter of credit for rice import.
Step 5: Inspection, loading and insurance
The rice is inspected before loading, usually by SGS. See our pre-shipment inspection for rice checklist. We book the ship and arrange cargo insurance in your favor.
Step 6: Documents
You receive the bill of lading, commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, phytosanitary certificate, fumigation certificate, inspection certificate and the insurance certificate. Our bulk rice import documentation guide explains each one.
CIF Prices by Region
Freight is the part of the CIF price that changes most from place to place. Here’s how regions usually compare from Thailand. These are general patterns, not rates.
- Southeast and East Asia. Short routes, lots of ships, usually the lowest freight per ton.
- South Asia and the Gulf. Medium routes, generally moderate freight.
- East and Southern Africa. Medium to longer routes. South Africa is well served.
- West Africa. Longer routes, often with transshipment. Freight per ton is usually higher.
- Europe. Long routes, and freight can jump when shipping lanes are disrupted.
- The Americas and Caribbean. Long routes, often with transshipment through a hub.
- Pacific islands. Smaller ports and fewer sailings can make freight per ton high.
For regional guides, see our pages for the Middle East, West Africa and the Caribbean.
Transit Times From Thailand
The CIF price covers freight, but it doesn’t tell you how long the rice takes to arrive. That matters for your cash flow and your stock planning. Rough transit times from Bangkok or Laem Chabang, port to port:
- Southeast Asia: about one to two weeks
- East Asia and South Asia: about two to three weeks
- The Gulf and Middle East: about two to four weeks
- East and Southern Africa: about three to five weeks
- West Africa: about four to seven weeks, often with transshipment
- Europe: about four to six weeks
- The Americas and Caribbean: about five to eight weeks
Add two to four weeks before that for packing, inspection and loading after the contract is signed. When you plan around a Thai rice CIF price per metric ton, plan around these times too, especially before busy seasons like Ramadan, Lunar New Year or Christmas.
Locking In a CIF Price With a Supply Contract
If you import every month, a one-off Thai rice CIF price per metric ton every time can be stressful. Prices and freight both move, and you never quite know what next month’s container will cost.
A supply contract fixes that. We agree the grade, packing, monthly volume and port, then set how the price works. Common options:
- Fixed CIF price for a set number of shipments. Simple, and you know your cost. The risk is that the market drops and you’re still paying the old price.
- Fixed FOB plus actual freight. The rice price is fixed, and freight is passed through at the real rate each month.
- Market-linked price. Each shipment follows a market benchmark plus an agreed premium, with freight added at cost.
Which one suits you depends on how you sell. If you sell to supermarkets at fixed prices for months, a fixed CIF price helps. If you sell on the spot market at home, a market-linked price is often fairer.
How Payment Terms Affect the CIF Price
Payment terms change the price a little, and it’s worth knowing why.
With an irrevocable letter of credit at sight, we know we’ll be paid when we present the right documents, so we can quote a tight Thai rice CIF price per metric ton. With longer credit, like payment 60 or 90 days after the documents, someone has to finance that time, and it shows up in the price.
For first orders, an L/C at sight is the standard. It protects you too, because the bank only pays when the documents match the contract. Once we’ve done a few shipments together, other terms can be discussed.
A Real First CIF Order, Step by Step
Here’s how a typical first CIF order runs.
An importer in East Africa wants Thai 5% white rice in 50kg bags, two 20ft containers, CIF to their port. They ask us for a Thai rice CIF price per metric ton on Monday.
On Tuesday we send a written quote: the FOB rice price, the freight we’ve confirmed for their port that week, insurance, and the total CIF price per metric ton. The quote is valid until Friday. We courier a sample the same day.
They check the sample, accept the quote and sign the contract. They open a letter of credit. About two to three weeks later the rice is packed, inspected and loaded. We send copies of the bill of lading, inspection certificate, insurance certificate and the rest by email as soon as the ship sails, so they can prepare their customs entry.
The ship arrives about four weeks later. The importer clears the rice and pays duty and port charges locally. Total time from first message to rice in their warehouse: roughly seven to nine weeks.
Common Mistakes With CIF Rice Prices
Forgetting the costs after CIF. Duty, VAT, port charges, clearance and trucking can add a lot. Budget for them.
Comparing CIF with FOB. Always compare like for like.
Not checking the insurance. Ask for the insurance certificate and check what it covers.
Letting the quote expire. A Thai rice CIF price per metric ton is usually valid for a few days. Decide quickly or ask for a new quote.
Using a vague port. “CIF West Africa” isn’t a port. Name the exact port.
Questions to Ask With Every CIF Quote
Before you accept any Thai rice CIF price per metric ton, from us or anyone else, ask:
- Which shipping line and roughly which sailing is the freight based on?
- Is there a transshipment, and where?
- How many free days at destination does the freight include before demurrage starts?
- Is the price per metric ton on net weight or gross weight?
- Who pays for inspection at loading?
- What does the insurance cover, and who is the insurer?
Free days matter more than people think. If the container sits at your port longer than the free days allow, demurrage and detention charges start, and they add up fast. A cheap Thai rice CIF price per metric ton with only three free days can end up costing more than a slightly higher price with fourteen.
A good supplier answers these questions without hesitation. If the answers are vague, the CIF price probably is too.
Why Importers Buy CIF From DThai Company Limited
- Real freight rates for your port, not guesses
- Clear quotes that show grade, packing, port and validity
- Inspection, insurance and documents handled before the ship sails
- Mixed containers of different rice grades
- Written contracts and letter of credit payment
Read more about us and see our shipping page. If you’re new to importing from Thailand, start with how to import rice from Thailand.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Thai rice CIF price per metric ton today?
It depends on the grade and your port. Take the FOB price, around $460 to $468 for Thai 5% white rice in early October 2026, and add freight and insurance to your port. Ask us for an exact figure.
Does the CIF price include import duty?
No. CIF covers the rice, insurance and freight to your port. Duty, taxes and port charges are paid by the buyer.
Who arranges the ship under CIF?
We do. We book the freight and the insurance.
When does the risk pass to me?
Under CIF, risk passes when the rice is loaded on board in Thailand. That’s why insurance is included.
How long is a CIF quote valid?
Usually a few days, because rice and freight prices both move.
Can I mix rice grades in one container on CIF terms?
Yes. We’ll quote each grade separately.
Get Your Thai Rice CIF Price Per Metric Ton
Send us your grade, packing, quantity and exact port through our contact page. We’ll reply with a firm Thai rice CIF price per metric ton for your port, the spec sheet and a sample offer. If you’d also like an FOB price to compare, just ask.