Sulfur: Overview
How a yellow by-product props up fertiliser and mining
What this tab covers What the commodity is used for, why, in what volumes and with what alternatives, and its chain from mine or field to end user. Also the latest price moves, top recent news, three things to know, and buttons into each tab.Key uses
| Use | Share | Annual volume | Why this commodity | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sulfuric acid for phosphate fertilisers (phosphoric acid for DAP, MAP, NPK; SSP) | 60% | about 50 Mt S a yearbasis | Phosphate rock must be dissolved in acid to free its phosphorus, and sulfuric acid is by far the cheapest strong acid. Roughly 2.5-3 t of acid goes into each tonne of P2O5 (indicative, basis: industry rule of thumb). Fertiliser plants in Morocco, China, India, Saudi Arabia and the US burn molten or solid sulfur on site and use the heat to make steam and power. Indian Express via VisionIAS (21 Sep 2026); USGS MCS 2026, Sulfur | Nitric acid (nitrophosphate route, used in parts of Europe and China) Hydrochloric acid (small, local) Direct application of finely ground rock phosphate (low-grade substitute) |
| Metal leaching: nickel high-pressure acid leach (Indonesia), copper SX-EW, uranium and zinc | 6% | over 5 Mt S a year for Indonesian nickel alone (2025)basis | HPAL plants dissolve laterite ore in hot sulfuric acid under pressure, so acid is their largest reagent cost. Acid demand for nickel rose from 3.5 Mt in 2021 to 16 Mt in 2025 (Indian Express, 2026). Copper heap leaching in Chile and the DRC also needs acid, often supplied by smelters. SMM sulfur 2025 review (2026); Indian Express via VisionIAS (Sep 2026) | Smelter-made acid where a smelter is near the mine Pyrometallurgical routes (RKEF nickel pig iron, flotation and smelting for copper) |
| Battery materials: lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathodes and other battery chemicals | 4% | over 3 Mt S a year (2025)basis | LFP makers need purified phosphoric acid and iron phosphate, both made with sulfuric acid. As LFP took most of China's EV and grid-storage market, it became a new and fast-growing sink for sulfur. SMM sulfur 2025 review and 2026 outlook | Thermal (furnace) phosphoric acid, more energy intensive Nickel-manganese-cobalt cathodes (shift the acid demand to nickel and cobalt refining) |
| Other chemicals: titanium dioxide, caprolactam (nylon), detergents, viscose, pulp and paper, rubber vulcanisation | n/a | n/a basis | Sulfuric acid is the most used industrial chemical because it is cheap, strong and easy to handle. TiO2 pigment and caprolactam use large amounts; SMM expects chemical demand to grow 4-6% a year in 2026. EU CRM study 2023; SMM (2026) | Chloride route for TiO2 Hydrochloric acid in some pickling and processing |
| Petroleum refining (alkylation acid) and elemental sulfur fertilisers | n/a | n/a basis | Refiners use sulfuric acid as a catalyst to make alkylate, a clean high-octane petrol blend. Spent acid is regenerated: 2.5-5 Mt of spent acid is reclaimed each year in the US (USGS). Elemental sulfur is also added to fertilisers where soils lack it. EU CRM study 2023; USGS MCS 2026 | Hydrofluoric acid alkylation Solid-acid alkylation (newer) Gypsum or ammonium sulfate as sulfur nutrient |
From mine to user
- 1. Sour gas, sour crude and sulfide ores Most sulfur sits in natural gas (as H2S), crude oil above 1% sulfur, and copper, zinc and nickel sulfide ores. World resources in these sources total about 5 billion t (USGS).
- 2. Desulfurisation at gas plants and refineries Amine units strip H2S to meet fuel standards. In the US, refineries are the largest source, then gas plants and coking plants: 81 plants recovered 7.6 Mt in 2025 (USGS).
- 3. Claus conversion to elemental sulfur H2S is partly burned and reacted over catalyst to give molten sulfur. Smelters instead capture SO2 and make acid directly; byproduct acid was about 6% of US sulfur output in 2025 (USGS).
- 4. Forming and storage Molten sulfur is shipped hot by rail, barge or tanker, or solidified into prills, granules or blocks. Large blocks build up at Canadian oil-sands and gas sites and in Kazakhstan when prices are low.
- 5. Export by bulk carrier Gulf producers, Kazakhstan, Canada and Russia ship to Morocco, China, Indonesia, India and Brazil. China imported 9.6 Mt in 2025, about half from the Middle East (Argus, 2026).
- 6. Burning to sulfuric acid at the user Each tonne of sulfur makes about 3 t of acid (chemistry: H2SO4/S = 98/32). Acid plants sit inside fertiliser complexes and HPAL plants because acid is costly to ship.
- 7. End use Phosphoric acid and fertilisers (about 60%), metal leaching, LFP and other chemicals, refining. Spent refinery acid is regenerated and reused.
Price movement snapshot 2026-10-25
No public daily or monthly benchmark price for this commodity in the datasets used.
World production 83.7 m tonnes, 2024 Largest producer China 22.48% of worldThree things to know
- The US sulfur price fell from $178/t in 2022 to $46/t in 2024, then rose to about $180/t in 2025.
- Morocco took 31% of world sulfur imports by value in 2024, to make phosphate fertiliser.
- About 90% of US sulfur is consumed as sulfuric acid.
Top recent news snapshot 2026-10-25, last 30 days
- Sulphur scramble poses latest threat to global food pricesFinancial Times · 2026-10-12
- How Russia-Ukraine war and West Asia conflict sent sulphur prices soaringThe Hindu · 2026-10-01
- A shortage of sulphur could hurt mines and farms everywhereThe Economist · 2026-10-15
- Urea import prices hit 15-month low, but fertiliser subsidy burden may rise marginally due to higher DAPThe Times of India · 2026-10-20
- Corrective phase takes hold in sulphur, Middle East risks cloud outlookICIS · 2026-10-13