# Nitric acid: Trading

Why almost nobody buys nitric acid on the open market

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nitric_acid/trading/

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)](https://www.bcinsight.crugroup.com/2025/09/16/demand-for-nitric-acid/)paid research site · CRU Group

Nitric acid demand, technology and N2O abatement
[Nitric Acid Climate Action Group news](https://www.international-climate-initiative.com/en/iki-media/news/the_nitric_acid_climate_action_group_nacag/)free research site · International Climate Initiative (IKI), German government

N2O abatement funding and country commitments
[Calyx Global blog](https://calyxglobal.com/blog-post?q=122)free blog · Calyx Global (carbon credit ratings)

Quality of N2O abatement carbon credits
[American Chemistry Council blog](https://www.americanchemistry.com/chemistry-in-america/news-trends/blog-post/2022/clariant-providing-free-n2o-removal-catalyst-for-nitric-acid-producers-worldwide)free blog · ACC

US chemical industry news including N2O catalyst programmes

## Other sections

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