Sulphur price
Granular sulphur 99.5% min, FOB Middle East and delivered southern Africa, USD per tonne
Most traded sulphur is priced off the monthly prices posted by the Middle East producers. The table gives the latest postings the desk has read, FOB the loading port, alongside what sulphur costs once it is bagged at an East African port or delivered to a Copperbelt plant. Each line shows its basis and the date it was read.
They are market references, not an offer. A cargo price depends on the form (granular, prilled or crushed lump), the quantity, the shipment window and the payment terms.
Sulphur price levels, November 2026
| Product | USD per tonne | Basis | Applies to | Change | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sulphur, granular | 820 | FOB Kuwait (KPC monthly price) | Oct 2026 | −45 from Sep | |
| Sulphur, granular | 835 | FOB Qatar (QSP) | Oct 2026 | −45 from Sep | |
| Sulphur, bagged, at Dar es Salaam | above 1,000 | FCA Dar es Salaam, traders' stock | Apr to Nov 2026 | — | |
| Sulphur, delivered Copperbelt | 1,500 to 1,800 | Delivered at place (Incoterm DAP), Zambia / DRC | Apr 2026 | — |
Levels are published market references read on the dates shown, not CBIL offers. A line is removed 45 days after it was read.
How the sulphur price is set
Sulphur is recovered from sour gas and from oil refining, so supply follows energy output, not sulphur demand. The national producers in Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates each announce a price at the start of the month for that month's liftings, and spot cargoes, tenders and other origins are negotiated around those postings.
Because a producer cannot switch sulphur off without cutting gas or fuel output, the price swings further than most fertiliser raw materials: stocks build when buyers hold back and clear fast when they return.
Who buys it
About half of all sulphur becomes sulphuric acid for phosphate fertiliser, with Morocco, China and India the largest users. The fastest-growing demand is metal leaching: nickel processing in Indonesia and the copper and cobalt plants of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which burn sulphur on site to make their own acid.
Why delivered Copperbelt is a multiple of FOB
A plant in Zambia or Katanga is around 2,000 km from the sea. Sulphur arrives in bulk at Dar es Salaam, Beira, Durban or Walvis Bay, is bagged at the port, and travels inland by road or rail across one or two borders. Bagging, port storage, inland haulage, border clearance and the finance tied up over a transit of several weeks together cost more than the sulphur did at the loading port.
That is why the table shows the bagged level at Dar es Salaam and the delivered level separately from FOB. A buyer comparing offers should check which of the three bases a price is quoted on before comparing the numbers.
Forms and handling
Granular and prilled sulphur are formed, low-dust products shipped in bulk carriers; crushed lump is cheaper and dustier and is refused by some terminals. Solid sulphur is carried under the IMSBC Code with dust and fire precautions and the purity sold is 99.5% minimum.
Questions buyers ask
- What is the price of sulphur per tonne today?
- The table on this page gives the latest Middle East producer postings FOB in USD per tonne, with the month each applies to and the date it was read, plus bagged and delivered levels for East and southern Africa.
- What are KSP, QSP and OSP?
- They are the monthly sulphur prices posted by the national producers of Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Each is an FOB price at the producer's loading port for that month's liftings, and most spot business in the region is negotiated against them.
- Why does sulphur cost so much more in Zambia and the DRC than at the loading port?
- The plants are about 2,000 km inland. The delivered price adds ocean freight, bagging at the port, inland road or rail haulage, border costs and several weeks of financing, which together exceed the FOB price of the sulphur.
- Is granular sulphur priced differently from lump?
- Yes. Granular and prilled sulphur are formed products and are what the monthly postings refer to. Crushed lump sells at a discount because it is dusty and some ports and plants will not take it.
- How often are these sulphur prices updated?
- The producers post once a month. The desk checks its price sheet every Monday and when an enquiry needs a level; each line shows the date it was read and is removed after 45 days.