Ammonium sulfate closes September $10/t higher
Standard caprolactam-grade moved up to $210-215/t fob and compacted to $215-230/t. The market closed the month higher on an offer stack that is mostly empty.
· 5 min read
This price update has been followed by a wider market report. Export fob has held at $210-215/t and firmed further in early October, while the domestic market has split along the export-inspection line. For the current levels and the structure behind them, see the October two-tier market report.
China standard caprolactam-grade ammonium sulfate closed September at $210-215/t fob. A week earlier the same grade sat at $195-205/t. That is a $10/t move on the headline grade, and it happened in a market where most suppliers had nothing left to sell.
The higher-priced grades moved too.
The month-end numbers
| Grade | Mid-September | Latest read | Move |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard caprolactam-grade, fob China | $195-205/t | $210-215/t | +$10/t |
| Compacted, fob China | $210-225/t | $215-230/t | +$5/t |
| Southeast Asia, cfr (caprolactam) | $225-235/t | $235-245/t | +$10/t |
| Brazil, cfr (compacted) | $250-255/t | $250-255/t | flat |
| Brazil, cfr (standard) | $250-260/t | $250-260/t | flat |
All figures are indicative market assessment levels from our own monitoring, not offers.
Why prices moved with nothing to sell
Two reasons, and neither is a demand spike.
Most Chinese suppliers have sold out of their export allocations for this round. When a buyer asks for October or November shipment, several producers simply cannot answer. Scarcity at the offer stage does the same work as bidding at the demand stage: the number goes up.
Shandong caprolactam-grade ex-works now works out to roughly $212/t fob equivalent, which sits right on top of the export assessment. At parity there is no export margin to trade away. A producer who discounts for export loses money against his domestic customer, so he does not discount.
The result is a market that looks firm on paper but trades thin. Brazil tells that story best. Compacted material held at $250-255/t cfr with northern destinations heard closer to $260/t. Enquiries picked up during the week, yet little new business emerged. Buyers are asking, sellers are not pressing, and the range refuses to widen in either direction.
The cost floor is higher than it was
Sulphur, the main input for virgin-material producers, has stayed expensive. Tampa sits near $700/t and North African levels around $1,000/t. For caprolactam-grade by-product material this matters less, since the feedstock is a steel by-product rather than purchased sulphur. But it sets a high floor under granular virgin grades and keeps the whole price structure elevated.
The Golden Week pause
China enters the October 1-7 holiday with the market effectively closed. Domestic trading was already quieting in the last week of September. Nobody should read the silence as a top. The structural position has not changed: export allocations are spent, domestic values pin the floor, and the next volume decision belongs to the allocation authorities, not to buyers or sellers.
What Q4 buyers should do
The single biggest swing factor for October and November is whether and when new export volume is released. Prices can ease quickly if a large second round lands. They cannot fall far while the current stack stays empty.
The spread across grades and production origins runs tens of dollars a tonne, wider than any weekly move. A caprolactam-grade from one steel source and a compacted granular from a virgin plant are different products that happen to share a name. Settle the specification first and the price conversation gets shorter.
A market at parity with its domestic backdrop does not correct out of politeness. If your Q4 program needs tonnage, the practical window is now, while producers still have packaging slots before their next domestic season.
Sourcing from China
The grades discussed here — standard, compacted granular and crystalline — cover the main forms in which ammonium sulfate leaves China, with Qingdao and Tianjin the usual loading ports. Inspection and documentation requirements have changed more than once this year, so buyers planning a shipment window should confirm which grades and documents currently apply before fixing a load plan.
- Ammonium sulfate, standard grade
- Granular ammonium sulfate
- Crystalline ammonium sulfate
- How to import ammonium sulfate from China
- Choosing between production sources
On pricing in this article. The figures above are indicative market assessment levels for the grades and bases referenced, drawn from our own market monitoring and information from our own trading desks. They are not offers and do not represent a quotation for any specific parcel, origin or shipment window. Ammonium sulfate prices vary with grade, production source, packaging, parcel size, destination and freight, and are quoted per inquiry and confirmed in the sales contract.
Frequently asked questions
What is the current ammonium sulfate price from China?
Our latest read puts standard caprolactam-grade at $210-215/t fob China and compacted material at $215-230/t fob, both up from the prior week. These are indicative market assessment levels from our own monitoring, not offers. Actual prices are quoted per inquiry and confirmed in the sales contract.
Will ammonium sulfate prices fall in October?
Not while the offer stack stays this thin. Most Chinese suppliers have sold out of export allocations and the domestic market sits at parity with export values, so there is little margin to discount. The swing factor is the next allocation round. If new volume lands, prices can ease. Until then, flat to firm is the base case.
Which ammonium sulfate grade should I buy?
Start from the application, not the price. Steel-grade and caprolactam-grade by-product material suit most fertilizer blends, compacted granular suits bulk blending and mechanical spreading, and MMA-grade is the low-cost end with its own specification limits. Match the grade to the crop and the spreading equipment first.
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Ammonium sulfate
(NH4)2SO4 · 21-0-0-24S · crystalline and granular