# Ammonia

Hydrogen plus air nitrogen, ammonia is the root of almost all fertiliser and nitrogen chemistry, and the source of about 420 Mt of direct CO2 a year (IEA, 2022).

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/ammonia/

Commodity chemicals · Nitrogen & phosphate chemicals · No. 18

- Single chemical
- Feedstock: Oil, gas or coal
- 190.5 Mt ammonia (2024); about 160 Mt N in 2025e
- 2.8 t CO₂e per t
- HS 281410
 Commodity chemicals · Nitrogen & phosphate chemicals · Foundation · Matter

Ammonia is made from air and natural gas, and gas is up to 85% of its cost, so gas shocks reach farms.

Chart: Illustration: Ammonia

##### Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Hydrogen from gas or coal is combined with nitrogen from air over an iron catalyst at 150-250 bar: the Haber-Bosch process, which made 190.5 Mt in 2024.

##### Three things to know

1. A $10/MMBtu move in gas shifts ammonia's cost by about $330 a tonne, because each tonne needs about 33 MMBtu.
2. China makes 30.6% of world ammonia, mostly from coal, while India and Russia each make about 9.4%.
3. India's 2025 auction bought 724 kt a year of green ammonia at roughly $570-740 a tonne.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Gas or coal**About 33 MMBtu gas per tonne
2. 2 **Hydrogen**Reforming or gasification, 0.178 t per tonne
3. 3 **Nitrogen**Taken straight from the air
4. 4 **Haber-Bosch**Iron catalyst, 150-250 bar, 400-500 C
5. 5 **Conversion**About 60% becomes urea on site
6. 6 **Shipping**Refrigerated at -33 C in gas carriers
 Covered in [From ground to marketCommodities](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/commodities/from-ground-to-market/)[Prices and cyclesCommodities](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/commodities/prices-and-cycles/)[The chemical industry: what it makes and how it is organisedChemicals](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/chemicals/chem-industry-map/)[How a chemical process works: reactions, separations, catalysts and flowsheetsChemicals](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/chemicals/how-chemical-processes-work/)[The economics of a chemical plant: costs, prices and profitChemicals](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/chemicals/plant-economics-costs-and-profit/)[Heavy inorganics: salt, sulphur, nitrogen and phosphorusChemicals](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/chemicals/heavy-inorganic-chemicals/)and 15 more

##### Go deeper pick a tab to open it in full

## Other sections

- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/ammonia/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/ammonia/correlation/index.md)
- [Production route](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/ammonia/routes/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/ammonia/production/index.md)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/ammonia/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/ammonia/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/ammonia/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/ammonia/movement/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/ammonia/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/ammonia/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/ammonia/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/ammonia/links/index.md)