Nitric acid: Trading
Why almost nobody buys nitric acid on the open market
What this tab covers How it is bought and sold: buyers and sellers, price benchmarks and who publishes them, exchanges, contract types, traders, how Indian buyers price it, recent price points, and good sources to follow.Who buys, and where
- Mostly consumed captively; merchant buyers are nitration, stainless steel and fertiliser blending plants
Who sells, and from where
- Integrated nitrogen producers with surplus weak acid
- Chemical parks in Europe and India
Price benchmarks
| Benchmark | Publisher | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| No widely quoted nitric acid benchmark; AN and CAN assessments are used | Argus; CRU | weekly |
Exchanges
| Venue | Contract | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| none | no futures | Prices are bilateral, often indexed to ammonia |
Contract types
- Ammonia-indexed supply contracts
- Over-the-fence supply within chemical parks
- Tolling of ammonia into nitric acid
Traders and distributors
- Few; merchant volumes are small
How Indian buyers price it
- Domestic producers set prices linked to their ammonia cost and imported ammonia CFR India.
- Imports are minor because acid is hazardous to ship.
- No anti-dumping duty on nitric acid found.
Recent price points
| Date | Price | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan-Apr 2026 | not published for nitric acid; ammonia CFR India up almost 41% | ammonia delivered India | Argus (2026) |
Good sources to follow
Nitrogen+Syngas (CRU BCInsight)paid research site · CRU GroupNitric acid demand, technology and N2O abatement
Nitric Acid Climate Action Group newsfree research site · International Climate Initiative (IKI), German governmentN2O abatement funding and country commitments
Calyx Global blogfree blog · Calyx Global (carbon credit ratings)Quality of N2O abatement carbon credits
American Chemistry Council blogfree blog · ACCUS chemical industry news including N2O catalyst programmes