Sulphuric acid: Production
Why official statistics miss nearly half the world's acid
Why official statistics miss nearly half the world's acid What this tab covers Who makes it and how much: world capacity and output, utilisation, the top producing countries and companies globally and in India, concentration, new capacity coming, and each region's position.| Measure | Figure | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| World capacity | not published as a world total; output is about 230 Mt a year (derived) | Capacity sits inside phosphate complexes, smelters and refineries rather than in standalone plants. USGS reports sulphur, not acid. | USGS MCS 2026 (derived) |
| World output | about 230 Mt (2025, derived); 131 Mt reported in national statistics (IndexBox, 2024) | IndexBox shows production up 2.6% in 2024 and consumption of 132 Mt. The gap to the derived figure is mostly unreported captive acid in China and fertiliser complexes. | USGS MCS 2026; IndexBox (2024) |
| Capacity utilisation | not published | Sulphur burners at fertiliser complexes run when phosphate margins allow; Mosaic cut US phosphate output by about 2 Mt and shut its second-largest rock mine in Oct 2026 because of the sulphur crisis. | Hellenic Shipping News citing Kpler (2026); CRU BCInsight teaser (13 Oct 2026) |
| Concentration | China 21% of reported output; China, US and Russia together 40% of consumption (IndexBox, 2024) | Production is spread across fertiliser, smelting and refining sites in most industrial countries. Trade is more concentrated: Japan, China, Korea, Canada and Peru led exports in 2024. No company shares are published. | IndexBox 2024 |
| New capacity | smelter acid growth across Asia; CRU warns of possible longer-term oversupply | New copper smelters in India (Adani's Kutch Copper), Indonesia and China add by-product acid, while HPAL and LFP plants add demand. CRU noted in Nov 2024 that rising Asian smelter output may lead to oversupply in the longer term. | CRU BCInsight (Nov 2024) |
Top producing countries
China 21% · 27 Mt reported (IndexBox, 2024); Chinese national statistics put output near 100 Mt (indicative), which would make China about 40% of world output United States 10% · 13 Mt (2024); also the largest market by value, $2.7 billion Russia 9.8% · 13 Mt (2024)- Morocco: not published; OCP is the world's largest acid user, burning most of Morocco's imported sulphur (Morocco took 31.1% of world sulphur import value in 2024)
- India: not published here; India's acid market was worth $1.6 billion in 2024, third largest by value
- Chile: smelter acid from Codelco plus 3.6 Mt imported (2024)
Largest producers: global
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OCP Group Largest single acid producer through Jorf Lasfar and Safi sulphur burners (indicative) | Morocco | not published | 2025 | Company reports; volume not found in sources used |
| The Mosaic Company Florida and Louisiana sulphur burners; cut phosphate output in 2026 | US | not published | 2026 | CRU BCInsight teaser (Oct 2026) |
| Ma'aden Saudi Arabia faced the sharpest import contraction in 2026 | Saudi Arabia | not published | 2026 | CRU (2026) |
| PhosAgro Large sulphur-burning fertiliser complexes | Russia | not published | 2025 | not published in sources used |
| LS MnM Onsan copper smelter; Korea exported 2.4 Mt in 2024 | South Korea | 1.925 Mt/yr smelter acid capacity | 2024 | CRU BCInsight (Nov 2024) |
| Codelco Smelter acid producer and acid buyer for leaching | Chile | not published | 2025 | not published in sources used |
| Jiangxi Copper and other Chinese smelters China's export ban covers smelter and sulphur-burner acid | China | not published | 2025 | S&P Global (May 2026) |
Largest producers: India
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hindalco (Birla Copper, Dahej) Smelter acid; integrated with phosphoric acid and DAP | India | not published | 2025 | not published in sources used |
| Hindustan Zinc (Vedanta) Zinc smelter acid in Rajasthan | India | not published | 2025 | not published in sources used |
| Coromandel International Sulphur burners at Kakinada and Visakhapatnam feed its phosphoric acid; added a 650 t/day phosphoric acid plant | India | not published | 2026 | Argus (2026) |
| Paradeep Phosphates Sulphur-burning acid for DAP at Paradip | India | not published | 2025 | not published in sources used |
| FACT and GSFC (state fertiliser companies) Sulphur-burning acid for ammonium sulphate and phosphates | India | not published | 2025 | not published in sources used |
India makes most of its acid inside fertiliser and smelter complexes and imported 1.79 Mt of acid ($146 million) in 2024, about 8% of reported world import volume and 5.4% by value (UN Comtrade). CRU expects India to import less in 2026 as domestic smelter acid rises, but sulphur for its burners is mostly imported.
Position by region
| Region | Position |
|---|---|
| US | Produced 13 Mt (2024) and imported 3.5 Mt, mostly from Canada (54%) and Mexico (22%); acid CFR US Gulf rose from $155/t (25 Feb 2026) to $400/t (6 May 2026) (USGS; Platts). |
| EU | Smelter acid from Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany and Spain is exported to Chile and Morocco; Chilean buyers switched from China to Europe in Q1 2026 (CRU). |
| India | Fertiliser complexes depend on imported sulphur; acid imports 1.79 Mt, about 8% of world import volume (2024, UN Comtrade). |
| China | Largest producer and, in 2025, largest exporter (4.6 Mt); halted exports from May 2026 to protect domestic fertiliser and battery supply. |
| Japan | Largest exporter by volume in 2024 (3.4 Mt), almost all smelter acid. |
| Middle East | Saudi Arabia (Ma'aden) faced the sharpest import cut in 2026 and withdrew from spot buying (CRU); Gulf sulphur supply was cut by the Hormuz near-closure. |