Urea price
Granular and prilled urea 46% N, FOB levels in USD per tonne
Urea is priced per tonne at the loading port, and the two levels most import buyers work from are FOB Middle East and FOB Egypt. The table gives the latest level the desk has read for each, with the basis and the date. They are market references, not an offer: a cargo price depends on the port, the quantity, the shipment window and the payment terms.
A delivered price is the FOB level plus ocean freight for the lane, insurance and, for bagged cargo, bagging. Send the discharge port and quantity for a CFR or CIF figure.
Urea price levels, November 2026
| Product | USD per tonne | Basis | Applies to | Change | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urea, granular | 415 | FOB Middle East (daily series) | 13 Nov 2026 | — | |
| Urea, granular | 500 | FOB Egypt (daily series) | 13 Nov 2026 | — | |
| Urea, granular | about 535 | FOB Egypt, November contracts | Nov 2026 (as reported 4 Nov) | — | |
| Urea, prilled | 420 | FOB Middle East, prill spot (World Bank Pink Sheet) | Oct 2026 | +12.5 from Sep |
Levels are published market references read on the dates shown, not CBIL offers. A line is removed 45 days after it was read.
Why Egypt and the Middle East are quoted apart
Both regions make the same 46% nitrogen product, yet they rarely trade at the same number. Middle East plants sell mostly east and south: India, Thailand, Australia, East and southern Africa, Brazil. Egyptian plants sit a few days from Europe and Türkiye and sell there first, so the Egyptian level follows European demand, the gas price in Europe and the carbon border charge the European Union now applies to imported fertiliser.
A buyer in Asia or Africa is normally served from the Middle East level; a buyer in the Mediterranean from the Egyptian one. Where the gap between the two is wide, freight decides which origin lands cheaper.
What moves the urea price
Natural gas is the feedstock. A tonne of urea takes roughly 20 to 25 million Btu of gas, so a move in gas cost reaches the plant gate quickly, most of all in Europe, where plants buy gas at market prices.
India's import tenders set direction. The state buyers take one to two million tonnes at a time, and the price they accept becomes the reference for every cargo east of Suez for the following weeks.
Export policy matters as much as demand. Large producing countries open and close exports by quota, and a quota announcement moves the price before any cargo loads.
Demand is seasonal: India before the kharif and rabi sowings, Brazil in the third quarter ahead of maize, Europe and North America before spring application.
Granular or prilled
Granular urea (2 to 4 mm) is harder, spreads further and blends with DAP and potash without segregating, and it usually carries a premium over prilled. Prilled urea (1 to 2.8 mm) is used for direct application by hand, in solutions and in industrial uses such as resins and diesel exhaust fluid. An enquiry should name which is wanted, because the two are loaded at different plants.
Import price and farm price are different things
In several large markets the price a farmer pays is set by the state, not by the import price. In India the maximum retail price of neem-coated urea has been held at Rs 242 for a 45 kg bag, before neem coating charges and taxes, and the government pays the difference to the producer or importer as subsidy. The levels on this page are the international cargo price that the subsidy is measured against.
Questions buyers ask
- What is the price of urea per tonne today?
- The table on this page gives the latest FOB Middle East and FOB Egypt levels in USD per tonne with the date each was read. They are references for bulk cargoes at the loading port; freight, insurance and bagging are added for a delivered price.
- Why is FOB Egypt urea dearer than FOB Middle East?
- Egyptian plants sell first into Europe and Türkiye, a short voyage away, where gas-based production costs and the carbon border charge on imports support a higher price. Middle East plants sell mainly to Asia, Africa and Brazil against the level set by India's tenders.
- How do I get from an FOB urea price to a CFR price at my port?
- Add ocean freight for the lane and the vessel size, typically a 25,000 to 55,000 tonne bulk carrier, plus insurance for CIF. Bagged cargo in 50 kg bags or jumbo bags also carries a bagging cost. Send the discharge port, quantity and shipment month and the delivered figure is worked for that lane.
- What is the smallest quantity of urea sold at these prices?
- The levels are for bulk vessel cargoes. Container lots of bagged urea are sold, but at a higher price per tonne, because bagging, stuffing and container freight are added and producers give priority to cargo buyers.
- How often are these urea prices updated?
- The desk checks its price sheet every Monday and whenever an enquiry needs a current level. Each line shows the date it was read, and a line older than 45 days is removed from the page.