How Chinese Incense Sticks Are Made

01 · Grind and sift the materials

The process. The maker selects and prepares the aromatic ingredients, then crushes and grinds them. Any ingredient that needs separate preparation is treated first. The ground material is sifted to separate coarser particles from the finer powder that passes through the mesh. ^[1]

The result. Powder ready for blending. Grinding makes the particles smaller; sifting separates them by size. They are two distinct operations.

The craft begins with how the material is prepared, as well as which aromatic wood is chosen. There is no single mesh size suited to every formula, and finer powder is not automatically a sign of better incense.

02 · Weigh and blend the powders

The process. Each powder is weighed according to the formula, then mixed. Both the aromatic ingredients and the binding powder that helps the stick hold together belong in that calculation. An English-language report on incense making also identifies weighing and mixing as distinct stages.^{[5] [3]}

The result. A measured dry blend, before water turns it into a workable paste. The weighing scene illustrates the task rather than a particular recipe.

Blending and kneading do different jobs. Blending determines the combination of materials; kneading brings them together into a mass that can be shaped. The distinction helps explain why making a blend involves more than simply mixing everything at once.

03 · Add water and knead

The process. Water is added to the powder blend, which is then kneaded, folded and pressed evenly. The account of Gu Shi Xiang specifically describes folding the paste inward from its edges. ^[3]

The result. A pliable mass ready to load into the forming tool. In Chinese, this is called xiang ni (香泥), or incense paste. The word ni does not mean that soil is necessarily an ingredient.

Adding water is only the beginning of this stage: the mixture still needs to be worked evenly. The amount of water and the proportion of binder depend on the formula; neither can be inferred from a picture.

04 · Press the paste into thin strands

The process. The paste is packed into a cylinder and compressed. Pressure forces it through a small opening into a thin strand, which is caught on a receiving board or tray. ^[3]

The result. Long, slender strands that are still wet and need further handling. The opening gives the paste its narrow profile; the board supports it while it is soft.

This is the coreless route: the incense mixture forms the stick itself. Bamboo-core incense follows a different route, with aromatic material built around a bamboo splint. Macao’s heritage account, for example, describes coating individual splints by hand. These are different ways of constructing a stick. ^[4]

05 · Straighten and trim

The process. The fresh strands are straightened and laid in rows. A straight edge helps align them; the ends are then cut to the required length. Broken strands and other visible defects are set aside. ^[3]

The result. Even rows of cut sticks, ready for drying. Aligning and cutting are separate actions: the cut runs across the strands to bring their ends into line.

Extrusion gives the paste its slender form. This quieter work turns those strands into orderly rows. The movements are small, but they help determine the finished shape.

06 · Dry and refine the shape

The process. The sticks are placed on supporting trays or racks to dry, with further shaping as required by the method. The Fujian heritage record includes shade drying or drying with heat. Gu Shi Xiang’s account describes a sequence that includes sun drying, further drying in the shade and pressing to refine the shape.^{[3] [1]}

The result. Dried, shaped incense sticks. The pictured mesh trays and tiered racks illustrate flat support and space for airflow; workshops use different equipment and drying methods.

There is no universal drying time, temperature or humidity setting for every formula. A strand that has left the press is not yet a finished stick: drying and attention to its shape are still part of the work.

A simple form, made through careful work

Look at a stick again and its shape begins to tell you something about its making. Measured powders become a workable paste; pressure draws it into a fine strand; straightening, trimming and drying bring that line to its finished form.

For us, the appeal of the craft lies in those specific details. Explaining where the hands intervene and what the tools do gives more substance to a stick’s story than a label such as “traditionally handmade” on its own.