What Are Agarwood "Oil Lines"? Read the Resin Veins to Read the Scent

Oil lines are the dark veins that resin deposits along the grain and vessels — the most visual evidence of resin formation. Reading oil lines is reading "how resin is distributed and dense" — the full picture is in 沉香百科.

What good oil lines look like

Natural oil lines should be clear, coherent, with depth transitions that blend into the grain; backlit, they often show a translucent, oily sheen. If lines are stiff, sharply bounded, or a single dead-black, suspect dyeing or injection — see the 鉴定支柱页.

Why "good lines" ≠ "good agarwood"

Oil lines show "how much"; scent shows "how good". High resin with poor formation or origin can still smell ordinary. The order: scent first, then oil lines and density, then origin — see 中华香学·鉴定.

(This is industry observation and popular-science summary, not investment advice. Buy agarwood through legal channels with traceable, testable sources.)