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Home Commodities Chemicals Ammonia Ammonia prices, markets & analysis

Ammonia prices, markets & analysis

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ICIS provides independent and unbiased pricing information, news and market analysis for the global Ammonia market. Our network of price reporters, based in Asia, Europe and the US, deliver local insight for each of these markets, which is published in our individual weekly and daily price reports.

If you buy or sell Ammonia or related products, our reports, news and market intelligence will give you the prices and analysis of the factors driving the prices that you need to make confident commercial decisions.

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Market Overview

Updated to Q4 2020

Asia

Planned and unplanned plant shutdowns in southeast Asia and the Middle East removed a large chunk of merchant volume and reduced export availability. Indonesian units operated by Kaltim and PT PAU were offline for several weeks. This scenario was repeated in Saudi Arabia where SABIC and Ma’aden experienced production problems. While the latter’s issue was only a glitch, the former’s lost capacity was triggered by a technical failure and lengthy turnaround.

Bar the odd sale into China and India, spot activity was relatively muted, and certainly a lot quieter than in Q3. Seasonal factors and a series of major turnarounds at chemicals plants – particularly capro and ACN – across northeast Asia meant import demand was limited and prices stable. Both Lotte Fine Chemicals and Namhae Chemical Corporation in South Korea renewed their annual supply contracts for 2021, with volumes unchanged from 2020.

Europe

As in other major ammonia producing regions of the world, prices in the Black Sea and Baltic firmed in late 2020 as capacity cuts on several continents squeezed supply, forcing traders and buyers to pay a slight premium for cargoes. Export availability from Yuzhny remained decent despite plant maintenance at some manufacturers in Russia and Ukraine. Ample supply in the Baltic saw a combined 200,000 tonnes load for Yara at Sillamae and Ventspils in November-December.

Seasonal slowdowns and the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic on national economies suppressed import demand in most countries. Issues at Lanxess’ Antwerp operations meant fewer import volumes were received, although Yara delivered extra tonnes to its Dutch operations due to production problems at Sluiskil. Along the coast at Rotterdam, OCI sourced spot cargoes from the Baltic, Black Sea and the Caribbean as its Algerian production partner, Sorfert, performed a lengthy turnaround on its export-oriented unit.

US

The first half of the period saw export availability from Trinidad return to more usual levels as Nutrien ramped up capacity at some of its plants on the island amid an uptick in international prices. In contrast, natural gas curtailments in the final few weeks of the year prompted a one-month shutdown of the 500,000 tonne/year Tringen I unit at Point Lisas. Louisiana major CF Industries loaded a spot cargo for Trammo in December.

Contract cargoes flowed to ports along the US Gulf coast, with only one confirmed spot deal; involving Trammo discharging a combined 25,000 tonnes at Mosaic’s operations in Florida and Louisiana in H1 December. The Tampa contract price firmed throughout the period, increasing from $228/tonne CFR for October loadings, to $255/tonne CFR for December shipments. Agricultural demand was decent, keeping import volumes steady and ensuring sufficient deliveries to farmers in key crop-growing states.

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How we can help

Ammonia news and market information products from ICIS

We offer the following regional Ammonia analysis and news coverage to keep you informed of factors and developments affecting prices in the Ammonia marketplace.

Price reporting

  • More information about the price reports we publish on Ammonia
    Independent price assessments and market coverage by region

    • Asia & Europe
    • US

Price history

  • More information about the historical price data we publish on Ammonia
    Track historical price data

    • Asia & Europe
    • US

Specialist reporting

  • Specialist reporting – Other types of reports we cover for Ammonia
    Use margin reports to assess the profitability of commodities

    • Asia & Europe
    • US

News & analysis

  • News & market analysis specifically relating to Ammonia
    Breaking news of latest developments affecting the markets.Insight and analysis of factors driving prices.
Find out more about our services

Services

Find out more about our services

Pricing Intelligence

Pricing information

Regional price assessments, published daily or weekly, enabling you to keep track of trading prices, understand price drivers/fluctuations and set a benchmark for contract price settl ements. ICIS offers reports on over 180 commodities across the global petrochemical, energy and fertilizer markets. Information covered in our price reports includes:

  • Spot and contract price assessments
  • Market commentary on trends and developments
  • Transactions reported and confirmed
  • Plant and production news

Information is accessed online, via the ICIS dashboard service and is configurable to suit your preferences.

  • Find out more about ICIS pricing reports >>

Price forecast services

Produced by the ICIS Consulting team, these reports give a robust rolling 12-month price forecast, trade balances and in-depth analysis into where markets are heading – providing a valuable tool to support your short- to medium-term plans.

  • Find out more about ICIS chemicals forecast reports >>

  • Find out more about ICIS fertilizers forecast reports >>

Dashboard – Easy access to ICIS pricing data

ICIS pricing intelligence is delivered to you online via the ICIS dashboard. Here you can view your reports and also access other useful services including related news, analysis, historical data and market alerts.

ICIS dashboard also makes it easy for you to create pricing charts, download price history and export data to create tailored analytical models.

  • Find more about ICIS dashboard >>
  • Find out more about new ICIS data delivery options: Excel Plug-In & API >>

Margin reports

ICIS weekly margin reports deliver the detail you need to understand how production costs and prices are affecting margins, enabling you to judge the likely impact on your business and optimise your upstream and downstream business decisions.

Find out more about ICIS margin reports >>

Supply and Demand Window on ICIS Dashboard

The Supply and Demand Window on the ICIS Dashboard provides a snapshot view of historical and forecast information for supply and demand, production capacity and trade flows – a key tool to help safeguard future investments within the chemicals market.

Find out more about the ICIS Supply and Demand Window

Industry News

News service

24-hour global coverage of breaking news in the petrochemical industry, including updates on production, shutdowns and key transacted deals, keeping you informed of market developments as they happen. The ICIS news service allows you to customise the market alerts delivered to your email inbox, providing the business-critical information you need straightaway.

  • Find out more about ICIS news service >>

ICIS Chemical Business magazine

If you want to keep updated on the factors driving price movements in the global chemical markets, ICIS Chemical Business provides a summary of the information you need to support your business decisions. Every week, our global team of experts digests and summarises the key issues and their potential impact on the market – all in one magazine.

  • Find out more about ICB magazine >>

Analytics

Supply & Demand Data

An expert view of supply and demand comprising four fully-reconciled databases, giving you access to extensive data for more than 100 markets. Information is included on global and regional trade flows, production, capacity and sources of demand in the short-, medium- and long-term. Data can be downloaded, customised and queried to support your planning requirements and your strategic decisions.

  • Find out more about the ICIS supply and demand database >>

Training and Conferences

Training courses

ICIS provides specialist training courses across the global petrochemicals, base oils and fertilizers industries. Our training team of industry experts can help you increase your knowledge of the industry and gain the insight and know-how needed to operate and trade effectively.

  • Find out more about ICIS training courses >>

Conferences

ICIS produces a series of highly informative and timely conferences. Extensive research is carried out to ensure that each programme delivers the information you need and addresses current industry issues. We source speakers who have the appropriate expertise and experience to deliver excellent quality papers.

  • Find out more about ICIS conferences >>

Consulting

Global markets

Working closely with you to understand your strategies, challenges and ambitions, the ICIS consulting team deliver tailored advice and solutions to suit your unique requirements. With many years’ experience of guiding business leadership teams, we show you how market conditions can make a positive or negative impact on your long-term plans.

  • Find out more about ICIS consulting services >>

China markets

ICIS expert consultants can provide your organisation with the insight, intelligence and data needed to build and grow your business in China. We can help you to gain a clear view on the short and long-term supply and demand picture in the chemicals, energy, iron and steel, non-ferrous metals and paper and pulp markets in China.

  • Find out more about ICIS consulting expertise in China >>

Methodology

ICIS launches Global Ammonia Markets General Methodology Consultation more >>

ICIS launches Global Ammonia Markets General Methodology Consultation more >>

ICIS price assessments are based on information gathered from a wide cross-section of the market, comprising consumers, producers, traders and distributors from more than 250 reporters world-wide. Confirmed deals, verified by both buyer and seller, provide the foundation of our price assessments.

Our in-depth market knowledge drives our specialist focus, as we recognise the importance of individual market dynamics and not a one-size-fits-all approach.

Over 25 years of reporting on key chemicals markets, including Ammonia, has brought global recognition of our methodology as being unbiased, authoritative and rigorous in preserving our editorial integrity. Our global network of reporters in Houston, London, Singapore, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Mumbai, Perth and Moscow ensures unrivalled coverage of established and emerging markets.

Ammonia Methodology

Ammonia is one of the main sources of nitrogen in fertilisers, as it contains 82% of nitrogen (N), which is essential for the life of plants. Ammonia (NH3) is produced through a chemical reaction (electrolysis).

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About Ammonia

Ammonia is a colourless, highly water-soluble gas with an intense, pungent, suffocating odour. It is alkaline and caustic, corrosive to copper and galvanised surfaces and is a powerful irritant. It is soluble in chloroform, ether and is easily liquefied under pressure. Liquid ammonia will attack some forms of plastics, rubber, and coatings.

Ammonia’s major use is as a nitrogen source in fertilisers where it is both applied directly and used to produce derivatives including ammonium nitrate, urea, ammonium phosphates and ammonium sulphate.

Urea plants are integrated with ammonia production as they require the carbon dioxide by-product from ammonia units.

Ammonia also has a number of industrial end uses. Ammonium nitrate is used to make explosives while the medical grade is decomposed to nitrous oxide (laughing gas). Ammonium bicarbonate has applications in baking powder formulations, in fire extinguishers and as a blowing agent in the manufacture of polymers.

Ammonia is used in the production of hexamethylene diamine (HMDA) for nylon, acrylonitrile (ACN) for fibres and plastics, caprolactam for nylon, isocyanates for polyurethanes, and hydrazine.

Other uses for ammonia include as a refrigerant, a cleaning and bleaching agent, and a household cleaner. It is also used in metal treating operations.

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News

TOPIC PAGE: Coronavirus, oil price direction – impact on chemicals
Fri, 26 Feb 2021 07:40

Watch markets editor Bonnie Yin discuss the recent developments in the China's glycol ether (BG) market which has surged after the Lunar New Year holiday, driven by cost pressure from upstream...

Read
Singapore's port authority joins ammonia marine fuel alliance
Wed, 24 Feb 2021 16:24

LONDON (ICIS)--The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Wednesday joined an international coalition of fertilizer, engineering and shipping firms striving to develop ammonia powered...

Read
TOPIC PAGE: Fertilizers - navigating the global downturn
Mon, 22 Feb 2021 09:55

The sharp global economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the collapse in crude oil prices has wide-ranging implications for the fertilizers industry. Bookmark this Topic Page to stay...

Read
Norway’s Yara, partners to electrify, decarbonize Porsgrunn ammonia plant
Thu, 18 Feb 2021 09:32

SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Fertilizer firm Yara International has signed a deal with two industrial firms to electrify and decarbonize its ammonia facility in Porsgrunn, Norway. The Porsgrunn plant produces...

Read
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