International ammonium sulfate market

International ammonium sulfate market

The supply in the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea are limited, and Russian caprolactam producers Kuaz and SBU Azot have committed  that they will have no spot supplies to export in September.

Kuaz is facing technical issues that have caused its ammonium sulfate production capacity to drop to 60% from 70-80% in previous months. The commitments of its domestic suppliers and reduced production meant that it could not export in September. These factors have also created uncertainty in the market for October.

According to reports, the standard ammonium sulfate price provided by Polish and Russian producers is 115 US dollars/ton FOB, which is shipped in October, while the Baltic FOB price is 110 US dollars/ton.

Turkish producer Eti Bakir has promised to start production in September and October,  amid unconfirmed reports of a drop in production.The company will load 30,000 tons of ammonium sulfate to Mexico from September 20-30.

European granular ammonium sulphate prices have risen this week, with new orders in Northwest Europe rose to 158 euros/ton FOB in October. Repairs began this week at basF's plant in Antwerp, Belgium, and are expected to continue until early October.Lanxess, the Belgian group, already plans to start work at its Antwerp plant next week and continue until mid-October.

Due to tight supply and strong domestic demand for extrusion grade, the price of caprolactam grade ammonium sulfate were stabilized in China.

This week, a northern producer sold 20,000 tons of caprolactam-grade ammonium sulfate to an international trader at an FOB price of US$105 per ton, which will be shipped in October. However, other suppliers have sold out or the target price is close to US$110/ton FOB.which is still to be accepted by the regional terminal market.

Demand in markets such as Indonesia and Sri Lanka has also increased, which has also supported prices. Small batches are now shipped in containers, with an FOB price of more than US$110/ton.

Wuzhoufeng sold 15,000 tons of extruded ammonium sulfate at an FOB price of less than US$130/ton last week and shipped to South Africa in late September and early October.

Indonesia Petrokimia Gresik requires 20,000 tons of spot caprolactam-grade ammonium sulfate to be delivered in late September and October. The first bidding ended on September 7, but negotiations are to be continued.

According to reports, the buyer's target price is 115 US dollars per ton, and the China FOB price is slightly higher than 100 US dollars. It is reported that the price provided by traders exceeds US$120 per ton, so far no new offer.

The price level of ammonium sulphate in Brazil has begun to stabilize, but market liquidity is still low because the market has been recover slowly after the National Day holiday.

According to the difference in quality, the price of China's extrusion-grade products in November in Brazil was between $140/ton and $150/ton. There are reports that the transaction price is lower than US$150/ton, and buyers continue to refuse to purchase products at a price of US$155/ton.

The European granular price is still very low, the granular price in October is 170-175 Australian dollars/ton, Brazil.The maximum price of standard ammonium caprolactam grade sulfate imported from China is us $130 / ton, while the price of European products in October-November is US $140 / ton.