Dry sift, static, powder, frozen and fresh frozen resin explained

How the five main solventless resin types from Morocco are made, how they differ in starting material, separation, micron range and finish, and how licensed buyers choose between them.

"Moroccan hash" once meant one thing: resin sieved by hand from dried plants and pressed into slabs. Today a licensed Moroccan hash resin supplier offers a range of solventless resin types, each defined by its starting material, how the trichomes are separated, which micron screens are used and how the resin is finished. For an importer or distributor, those differences decide how a product can be used, how it is priced and how it should be specified in a contract.

This guide explains the five sifted and washed resins we produce at our ANRAC-authorised facility in Morocco: dry sift, static, powder, frozen and fresh frozen. It covers what each one is, how it is made and how buyers choose between them.

What all five have in common

Every type starts from the same thing: the trichomes, the tiny resin glands on the cannabis flower that contain almost all of its cannabinoids and aromatic compounds. Making resin means separating those trichomes from the rest of the plant. The five types differ only in how that separation is done and what happens afterwards.

All five are solventless. Four are separated mechanically in the dry state, with rotating drums, vibrating sieves, screens and, for static resin, electrostatic charge. The fifth, fresh frozen resin, is separated with ice-cold water. None uses butane, ethanol or any other chemical solvent, which is why solventless resin export is simpler to document for markets that restrict residual solvents.

All five also start from the same cultivation: outdoor-grown cannabis from Chefchaouen province in the Rif, covered by LSQA's WHO-GACP Declaration of Conformity PP90/01 (Level A) for production, drying and storage. That is the basis for describing it as GACP-certified cannabis from Morocco.

Two starting points: dried or fresh frozen

The first split is the plant material itself.

  • Dried and cured material feeds dry sift, static, powder and frozen resin. After harvest the plants are air-dried and cured to stabilise cannabinoids and aromas, then trimmed and cleaned by hand before processing.
  • Fresh frozen material feeds fresh frozen resin only. The plants are frozen immediately after cutting, at −20 °C or lower, and are never dried before separation.

Drying and curing make trichomes easier to separate dry and give the classic Moroccan resin character. Freezing fresh preserves the terpenes present in the living plant, which is what "live-style" refers to.

Dry sift resin

Dry sift is the backbone of Moroccan resin production. Our process:

  1. Cured, hand-cleaned biomass turns in mechanical pollinators, stainless-steel rotating drums that gently release the trichome heads.
  2. The released material is sifted over micron screens between 120 and 90 µm, giving a full-spectrum kief.
  3. The kief is dried in a low-temperature drying oven, which reduces microbial risk while preserving terpenes.
  4. A mechanical hash press forms uniform blocks.

The result is a pressed, full-spectrum resin with a defined screen range, the controlled and repeatable version of the traditional product. See Dry Resin.

Static resin

Static resin starts as dry sift and is refined a second time. Dry screens separate by size, so fine plant dust and immature trichomes can pass through along with mature heads. Static separation uses a different property: electrostatic attraction.

In a dedicated clean room, the sifted resin passes through two systems: the Ecoseparator, a rotating electrostatic separation drum, and the Plasmastatic, a static-field collection table with fine-tuned polarity. The charged surfaces lift the most refined resin heads and leave dust and immature trichomes behind. The aim is higher clarity, purity and melt quality than the dry sift it came from.

Static is our most refined dry grade. See Static Resin.

Powder resin

Powder resin is the rawest form: kief taken from the first sifting stage, before drying, pressing or static refinement. Vibrating sieve tables and pollinators with screens from 120 down to 45 µm sort the trichomes into fractions, which are sold by single micron grade or as a mixed grade.

Because powder is neither dried further nor pressed, it is vacuum-sealed in pouches straight away and kept in cold-chain storage. Buyers choose it when they want to control the next step themselves, or need one specific grade. See Powder Resin; our guide to micron grades explains how screen size relates to what ends up in each fraction.

Frozen resin

Frozen resin uses dried material but processes it cold. The biomass is held at −20 °C for 48 hours, then sifted in cold-room pollinators or on vibrating sieves over 90–45 µm screens. Working cold minimises oxidation during separation. The resin is then lightly dried under vacuum and shaped or pressed to the buyer's preference.

We call it our aromatic special edition: a dry process, with the cold step there to protect aroma. See Frozen Resin.

Fresh frozen resin

Fresh frozen resin is the only water-extracted type:

  1. Plants are frozen immediately after harvest at −20 °C or lower.
  2. The frozen material is washed in ice-cold, reverse-osmosis-filtered water in stainless-steel agitation vessels or a bubble hash washing machine. The cold makes trichome heads brittle, so agitation breaks them off into the water.
  3. The water is filtered through micron bags from 220 down to 25 µm, and each bag keeps a different size fraction.
  4. The collected resin goes straight into a freeze dryer, which removes the water.

Everything happens in a clean, cold room with stainless-steel tools. Fresh frozen resin is terpene-rich and is the material we position for rosin extraction. See Fresh Frozen Resin and Rosin.

Side by side

Starting materialSeparationMicron rangeAfter separationFinish
Dry siftDried, curedRotating drums, screens120–90 µmLow-temperature dryingPressed blocks
StaticDry sift resinElectrostatic refinement(from dry sift)Clean-room refinementRefined resin
PowderDried, curedSieve tables, pollinators120–45 µmVacuum-sealed at onceLoose, by grade or mixed
FrozenDried, frozen 48 h at −20 °CCold dry sifting90–45 µmLight vacuum dryingLoose, shaped or pressed
Fresh frozenFresh, frozen at harvestIce water, agitation220–25 µm bagsFreeze dryingTerpene-rich resin

How buyers choose

The right type depends on what happens after the resin leaves our facility.

  • You need a finished, pressed product with a classic profile. Dry sift resin, or our Premium Pressed Hash.
  • Purity comes first. Static resin, which has been refined twice.
  • You want to control pressing, refinement or extraction yourself. Powder resin, specified by micron grade.
  • Aroma matters and you want a dry process. Frozen resin.
  • You make rosin, or terpene preservation comes first. Fresh frozen resin.

Two more considerations apply to every choice. First, cannabinoid content is a batch property, not a type property: it depends on the plant material as much as the process, so compare certificates of analysis for the batches on offer rather than assuming by type. Our guide How to read a cannabis resin COA explains what to look for. Second, check your own licence and market rules: what you may import, in what form and for what use is set by your country's regulator.

What stays the same across the range

Whatever the type, every batch is processed under ANRAC authorisation 52/A5/0223, tested with a certificate of analysis and exported under ANRAC authorisation 54/A8/0223. As an ANRAC-licensed exporter, we handle the regulatory paperwork, controlled packaging and transport up to the buyer's customs clearance point. Formats run from 1 kg down to 100 g and 10 g, with custom solutions by contract.

Pricing, specifications and COAs for current batches are in the buyer portal. Apply for trade access with your licence to see them.

Are all these resin types solventless?

Yes. Dry sift, static, powder and frozen resin are separated mechanically in the dry state. Fresh frozen resin is separated with ice-cold water. None uses a chemical solvent.

Which type has the highest cannabinoid content?

Cannabinoid content depends on the plant material and the batch as much as on the process, so it is stated per batch on the certificate of analysis rather than promised per type. Compare COAs for the batches on offer.

What is the difference between frozen and fresh frozen resin?

Frozen resin is made from dried, cured material that is frozen for 48 hours and sifted cold. Fresh frozen resin is made from plants frozen immediately at harvest, never dried, and separated in ice water.

Which resin is best for making rosin?

We position fresh frozen resin for rosin extraction, because it is separated from live, terpene-rich material and freeze-dried.