# Ammonium sulphate

A low-cost nitrogen-plus-sulphur fertiliser, mostly a by-product of nylon and coke making, now dominated by record Chinese exports.

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

Commodity chemicals · Nitrogen & phosphate chemicals · No. 21

- Single chemical
- Feedstock: Minerals and salts
- about 32.9 Mt (2024); China alone exported about 21.4 Mt in 2025, so the world total may be understated
- 0.5 t CO₂e per t
- HS 310221
 Commodity chemicals · Nitrogen & phosphate chemicals · Foundation · Matter

Much of this cheap fertiliser is leftover from making nylon, and China exported over 21 Mt of it in 2025.

Chart: Illustration: Ammonium sulphate

##### Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Most ammonium sulphate is a by-product of caprolactam for nylon, coke ovens and flue-gas scrubbing; only about 15% is made on purpose from ammonia and acid.

##### Three things to know

1. Ammonium sulphate carries 21% nitrogen and 24% sulphur, and demand is rising as farm soils run short of sulphur.
2. Because supply follows nylon and steel output, it does not shrink when prices fall, so prices halved in 2023.
3. In February 2026 it sold for $277/t in Europe, cheap per tonne but about $1,320 per tonne of nitrogen.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Nylon plants**Caprolactam making leaves AS behind
2. 2 **Coke ovens**Ammonia scrubbed from gas with acid
3. 3 **Direct synthesis**Ammonia plus sulphuric acid, 15%
4. 4 **Crystals or granules**Granules blend into NPK fertiliser
5. 5 **Export**Shipped from China to Brazil, Europe
 Covered in [From building blocks to plastics, fibres and detergentsChemicals](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/chemicals/building-blocks-to-polymers/)[Scale, capacity and feedstock: which chemical plants get builtChemicals](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/chemicals/scale-capacity-feedstock/)[Pharmaceuticals and fermentation: from molecule to medicineChemicals](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/chemicals/pharmaceuticals-and-fermentation/)

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

## Other sections

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