Sulfur — Market Analysis
QAA Intelligence provides market analysis, price trends, supply-demand insight and trading intelligence for the global sulfur market, tracking both a daily headline benchmark and regional pricing.
Price Trend
Recent price history (last 14 days)
| Date | Price |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-03 10:00 GST | 7,702.33 CNY/MT |
| 2026-10-04 10:00 GST | 7,702.33 CNY/MT |
| 2026-10-05 10:00 GST | 7,702.33 CNY/MT |
| 2026-10-06 10:00 GST | 7,702.33 CNY/MT |
| 2026-10-07 10:00 GST | 7,702.33 CNY/MT |
| 2026-10-08 10:00 GST | 7,702.33 CNY/MT |
| 2026-10-09 10:00 GST | 7,402.33 CNY/MT |
| 2026-10-10 10:00 GST | 7,392.33 CNY/MT |
| 2026-10-11 10:00 GST | 7,392.33 CNY/MT |
| 2026-10-12 10:00 GST | 7,392.33 CNY/MT |
| 2026-10-13 10:00 GST | 7,319.00 CNY/MT |
| 2026-10-14 10:00 GST | 7,179.00 CNY/MT |
| 2026-10-15 10:00 GST | 7,166.67 CNY/MT |
| 2026-10-16 10:00 GST | 6,669.00 CNY/MT |
Sulfur Market Overview
Sulfur is a byproduct of oil and gas refining, and most of it is converted into sulfuric acid, the key input for phosphate fertilizer production -- meaning sulfur prices are closely tied to both energy-sector refining activity and fertilizer demand.
Global Supply & Demand
Supply is a byproduct stream tied to refining volumes rather than a directly cultivated resource, so it can tighten quickly when refinery throughput drops, while demand from phosphate fertilizer and industrial buyers competes for the same limited volume.
Major Producing Countries
China and Russia are among the largest sulfur producers globally, alongside significant output from Middle Eastern oil and gas refining operations.
Major Importing Markets
India, Northeast Asia and the Middle East are among the world's major sulfur-importing markets, driven largely by phosphate fertilizer production and industrial demand.
Key Factors Affecting Sulfur Prices
Refinery throughput and maintenance schedules, phosphate fertilizer demand cycles, export restrictions from major producers, and freight availability are the factors most consistently affecting sulfur prices.
Sulfur Market Outlook
QAA Intelligence tracks a daily-frequency headline benchmark alongside regional pricing across five markets and structured news monitoring to surface shifts in the sulfur market as they happen.
Global Benchmarks
Other market references -- different source, currency, unit or basis from the headline benchmark; not directly comparable with it.
Latest News
Market Analysis & Outlook
The Trading Economics daily benchmark for sulfur shows CNY 7,319/MT, down 0.99% from the prior session, a modest pullback rather than a trend reversal. This sits alongside separate regional quotes (e.g., Middle East near $430/MT, Northeast Asia near $1,120/MT) that are not directly comparable to the Chinese benchmark but illustrate wide regional spreads in sulfur pricing. The detected event -- Adnoc raising its August FOB sulphur price to $107/t -- points to firmer Middle East export pricing from a major producer, which is typically a bullish signal for global sulfur, used in fertilizer (sulfuric acid/DAP) production. However, this snapshot's small daily dip in the China benchmark does not clearly reflect that increase, suggesting the Adnoc move may not yet be transmitted into this particular index, or reflects a different market segment. Headlines referencing constrained global supply and Canadian export volumes support an underlying tight-to-firm market tone, but the specific cause of this 24h dip is not identifiable from the price data alone.
Outlook: Near-term sulfur prices likely remain firm-to-volatile given reported supply tightness and a major producer's price hike, even though the Chinese daily benchmark ticked down slightly; direction may diverge by region.
Data Coverage: ModerateWant the drivers, signals and outlook behind these numbers? QAA Commodity Advisory covers sulfur every two weeks. Buying it? QAA supplies sulfur from its own supplier network and manages the whole supply chain: see Sulfur sourcing. For any other product, QAA Trade Services buys it from your supplier, or one we find for you, then ships and delivers it.