Sulphuric Acid 98% (Technical)
Commercial-grade H₂SO₄ 98–98.5%, bulk parcels & ISO tanks
Sulphuric acid at 98% is the workhorse concentration of the chemical industry and it is bought on four numbers. The first is strength: commercial grade runs 98–98.5% H₂SO₄, and a buyer whose process tolerates 93% (the azeotropic 'chamber' grade) should say so, because it is cheaper and easier to handle in cold climates where 98% freezes at about 3 °C. The second is iron, which limits use in anything where colour or catalyst poisoning matters, and is the main separator between smelter acid (higher iron, cheaper) and sulphur-burnt acid. The third is the trace pair of arsenic and lead, which decide whether the acid may enter a phosphate fertilizer stream or a water-treatment dose. The fourth is colour and turbidity, a rough proxy for organic carry-over. Sulphur dioxide content, ash and chloride complete the specification; a certificate that omits chloride is missing the number that corrodes a stainless line.
Buy 98% technical when the acid goes to phosphate fertilizer (DAP, MAP, SSP and phosphoric acid plants take the bulk of world supply), to metal leaching in copper, nickel, uranium and zinc circuits, to water and effluent treatment, to alum and aluminium-sulphate manufacture, to titanium dioxide, to caprolactam and to pickling lines. The commercial question is nearly always logistics rather than chemistry: acid is corrosive, heavy and cheap, so a stainless or coated chemical tanker parcel of 5,000–30,000 MT into a buyer's own tank is the economic form, and ISO tanks (about 24 MT) or IBCs serve buyers without a terminal. CBIL brokers sulphuric acid from sulphur-burning and smelter plants in the Gulf, India, East Asia and Europe against SGS or Intertek certification of strength, iron, arsenic, lead, chloride, SO₂ and colour at load, in bulk parcels, ISO tanks and IBCs, on FOB, CFR and CIF terms.
Indicative reference
$95–180 USD / MT
as at September 2026
Reference level only — not an offer, and reviewed quarterly. Levels shown are as at September 2026. Firm pricing is quoted per RFQ, subject to volume, terms and inspection.
Typical Specification
Specifications are indicative and adjusted to the agreed contract and destination requirements. Final spec confirmed on COA / SGS.
Available Grades
Applications
- Phosphate fertilizer (DAP / MAP / SSP)
- Copper, nickel & uranium leaching
- Water & effluent treatment
- Alum & aluminium sulphate
- Titanium dioxide & pigments
- Steel pickling
Category
Petroleum & Energy
Incoterms
FOB · CFR · CIF
Pricing basis
USD / MT
Inspection
SGS / Intertek at load port
Sulphuric Acid 98% (Technical) — buyer questions
Do I need 98% or will 93% do?
If your process dilutes the acid on arrival, or you are in a cold climate, 93% is usually the better buy: it is cheaper, it does not freeze until about minus 35 °C where 98% solidifies at around 3 °C, and it is less aggressive on carbon-steel tanks because of its higher water content. Buy 98% when the process needs the concentration itself, for oleum blending, sulphonation, drying duty, or where freight per unit of H₂SO₄ decides the landed cost.
What is the difference between smelter acid and sulphur-burnt acid?
Origin. Smelter acid is recovered from roasting copper, zinc or lead concentrate and carries more iron and trace metals; sulphur-burnt acid is made from elemental sulphur and is cleaner. For leaching, effluent treatment and most fertilizer use, smelter acid is fine and cheaper. For anything where iron, arsenic or lead is specified tightly, buy sulphur-burnt and have the trace metals certified at load rather than assumed.
How small a quantity can be shipped?
A bulk parcel starts around 5,000 MT and needs a receiving tank. Below that, ISO tanks of about 24 MT move by container line to almost any port, and 1,000 litre IBCs serve trial and laboratory scale. Price per tonne rises sharply as the pack gets smaller, so a buyer at 500 MT a month is usually better served by a shared parcel into a local terminal than by ISO tanks, if one exists.
Which documents travel with a sulphuric acid cargo?
A certificate of analysis for strength, iron, arsenic, lead, chloride, SO₂ and colour from an independent inspector at load; a certificate of quantity; a safety data sheet; the UN 1830 dangerous-goods declaration (Class 8); and a certificate of origin. Tank cleanliness certificates for the previous cargo matter more than buyers expect, because a tanker that last carried a fertilizer solution or caustic will contaminate the acid.
Ready to source H₂SO₄ 98%?
Send your quantity, specification, preferred Incoterms and destination port. We'll verify supply and respond with a workable offer — usually within one business day.
Have H₂SO₄ 98% to sell? Submit an offer — we'll match it against live buyer demand.