US Gulf:
No new NOLA ammonium sulfate trades were reported during the week, leaving the last-done business at the previous week’s $275/st FOB level.
Eastern Cornbelt:
Granular ammonium sulfate pricing reportedly firmed to $315-$335/st FOB in the Eastern Cornbelt, with the low confirmed in Illinois on a spot basis. The Cincinnati market was pegged in a broad range at $320-$335/st FOB, depending on supplier. Postings from IOC included $325/st FOB Ohio River terminals and $335/st FOB Illinois River terminals.
Recent granular ammonium sulfate offers in the Great Lakes region included $355-$365/st DEL.
Western Cornbelt:
The granular ammonium sulfate market was steady at $300-$330/st FOB in the Western Cornbelt. IOC’s Jan. 31 postings included $325/st FOB St. Louis, $335/st FOB Upper Mississippi River terminals, $350/st FOB Sioux City, Iowa, Omaha, Neb., and Casselton, N.D., and $345/st rail-DEL in the Northern Plains.
Southeast:
AdvanSix on Feb. 5 raised its Hopewell, Va., ammonium sulfate prices to $350/st FOB for granular, $330/st FOB for mid-grade, and $310/st FOB for standard. The new list prices reflect a $15/st increase for granular and a $25/st increase for mid-grade and standard from AdvanSix’s Dec. 18, 2023, postings.
California:
The ammonium sulfate market strengthened to $345-$355/st FOB in California, depending on location, up from the prior $320-$350/st FOB range.
Pacific Northwest:
The ammonium sulfate market jumped to $330-$350/st FOB or DEL for the latest offers in the Pacific Northwest, up from the prior $290-$330/st range.
Western Canada:
Ammonium sulfate pricing in Western Canada was up slightly, to C$475-$490/mt DEL from the prior C$470-$480/mt DEL range.
Northwest Europe:
Granular ammonium sulfate offers ranged from €200-€215/mt FOB Northwest Europe, but no fresh deals were confirmed by suppliers or traders. This range reflects $215-$230/mt FOB at current exchange rates.
China:
Recent sales to South Korea and the Philippines put the netback for Chinese caprolactam grade ammonium sulfate at $140-$148/mt FOB. Within moments of the deals being closed, producers said they would accept nothing less than $150/mt FOB in the next round of business.
Discussions reported late in the week could move the price to $155/mt FOB, sources said. The higher level came as the country was preparing to shut down for a week to celebrate the Lunar New Year holidays, however. Traders and producers agreed that once the holiday break is over, prices could easily firm into the mid- or upper-$150s/mt FOB.
Turkey:
Turkey imported 705,000 mt of amsul in 2023, Trade Data Monitor reported, down 31% from the year-ago 1 million mt. China accounted for 68% of the year’s imports with 488,000 mt, followed by Belgium with 133,000 mt. December imports of 26,000 mt were off sharply from the 96,000 mt received in December 2022.
Brazil:
Brazil amsul was steady at $175-$185/mt CFR for the week, with indications rising to $195/mt CFR for delivery in April or later. Prices were expected to strengthen in line with the global raw materials markets.
Rondonópolis prices softened to $300-$315/mt FOB ex-warehouse on limited demand, falling from $300-$320/mt FOB at last report.
January imports of ammonium sulfate stood at 405,000 mt, rising 12% from the year-ago 361,000 mt. According to Trade Data Monitor, the total represents Brazil’s largest January amsul haul in the past five years.