CAS 7783-20-2 · IECSC · People's Republic of China

Ammonium sulfate under IECSC

(NH4)2SO4 · 硫酸铵

Status: Listed. Ammonium sulfate is on the IECSC public portion as a foundational fertiliser. New-substance notification under MEE Decree No. 7 (2010) is NOT required. AS is NOT on China's Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals (light hazard profile, dust only). AS is NOT on the Easily-Made Drugs Precursor Catalog. China is the largest global AS producer (~25% of global capacity, ~14-16 Mt/yr), driven by **massive caprolactam by-product capacity** (~5 Mt/yr caprolactam → ~20 Mt/yr AS by-product theoretical) and secondary coke-oven by-product capacity. The economic structure is distinctive: AS production volume is determined by upstream caprolactam / coke production, not by fertiliser demand.

AS is comfortably IECSC-listed and NOT on Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals; export-side regulatory work is light. The structural intelligence layer is the **by-product economics**: ~70% of Chinese AS is caprolactam by-product (~5 Mt/yr caprolactam → theoretical ~20 Mt/yr AS), ~20% is coke-oven by-product (Shougang, Baowu, Sinosteel, HBIS), ~10% is direct production. AS production volume is determined by upstream caprolactam / coke production, NOT by fertiliser demand. This is structurally different from urea and DAP (where production is demand-driven). Beijing has NOT imposed seasonal export-quota on AS (unlike urea and DAP) because by-product-driven production cannot easily be managed for domestic supply security. Active US AD/CVD case number unverified at audit, verify access.trade.gov (since 2017-2018) imposes structurally uncompetitive cost layer in US lane. EU CBAM Phase 1 from 2026 uses by-product allocation methodology. Brazilian SIPEAGRO is largest single export-market regulatory framework with sulfur-deficiency cropping demand.

Listing and threshold

Substance Ammonium sulfate (CAS 7783-20-2), (NH4)2SO4
Regime China Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances (IECSC), administered by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE)
Jurisdiction People's Republic of China
Status Listed
Tonnage threshold No new-substance threshold applies. No Hazardous Chemicals Operation Permit required (AS is not on Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals)

Classifications under this regime

  • NOT listed in China's Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals
  • NOT on China's Highly Toxic Chemicals Catalog
  • NOT on the Easily-Made Drugs Precursor Chemicals Catalog
  • GB 535-2020 specification applies for industrial-grade AS (Chinese national standard)
  • GB 535-2020 covers N minimum 21% (granular) or 20.5% (crystalline), free moisture, free acidity, granule size for granular grade
  • GACC export classification: HS 31022100 (ammonium sulfate)
  • China is largest global AS producer (~25% capacity); production split: ~70% caprolactam by-product (Sinopec Yueyang, Hengyi Petrochemical, Tianlong, Lujian Caprolactam, Yangmei Coal Industry-Hengtian, Fujian Shenyuan), ~20% coke-oven by-product (Shougang, Baowu Steel, Sinosteel, HBIS), ~10% direct production

Restrictions and conditions of use

  • No Hazardous Chemicals Operation Permit required (AS is not on Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals)
  • No Easily-Made Drugs Precursor Permit required
  • Customs Inspection Order may apply for export consignments
  • No specific export-restriction or quota system applies to AS (unlike urea and DAP which have seasonal export-quota tightening)
  • VAT export rebate currently 13% for AS (HS 31022100) per current bulletin; verify before invoicing
  • GB/T 17519 Chinese-language SDS required for domestic distribution
  • No structural Beijing food-security export-quota concern on AS (because production is by-product-driven, not demand-driven; domestic supply is structurally over-capacity)

Importer obligations

For Chinese-origin AS exported abroad, no IECSC obligation falls on the foreign importer. The export-side documentation pack focuses on grade certification (granular caprolactam-coupled vs crystalline coke-oven by-product vs direct-production), GACC export declaration, Chinese-language SDS, and producer-specific routing for AD compliance in destination markets (especially active US AD case number unverified at audit, verify access.trade.gov). Granular AS (typically caprolactam-coupled at Sinopec Yueyang, Hengyi, Tianlong, Lujian) commands premium for direct-application; crystalline AS (typically coke-oven by-product at Shougang, Baowu) requires NPK-blender intermediate processing.

Required documents

  • GACC export declaration with HS code 31022100
  • Industrial-grade certificate per GB 535-2020 (granular or crystalline)
  • GHS-compliant SDS in Simplified Chinese per GB/T 17519-2013 (effective 31 January 2014, references UN GHS 4th revised edition; verify against the current version of GB/T 17519 at https://www.codeofchina.com/standard/GBT17519-2013.html)
  • Production-route declaration (caprolactam by-product / coke-oven by-product / direct production)
  • Granule-size specification (granular >2 mm for direct-application; crystalline for NPK blending)
  • For US destination: producer-specific AD margin documentation (Case case number unverified at audit (verify access.trade.gov))
  • For EU destination: verifier-attested CBAM embedded-emissions data with by-product allocation method declaration (from 1 January 2026)
  • For Brazil destination: SIPEAGRO (MAPA) registration certificate

Common compliance traps

The pitfalls that have bitten importers on this lane in the past. None of these is theoretical.

  • AS production is **structurally over-capacity** in China because it is a by-product of caprolactam / coke-oven chains; production volume is not demand-driven so price is volatile and supply is abundant. Beijing has NOT imposed seasonal export-quota tightening on AS (unlike urea and DAP) because the by-product-driven production cannot be easily managed for domestic supply
  • 13% VAT rebate is structural margin support; verify rebate filing on each shipment
  • Caprolactam-coupled AS (granular, Sinopec Yueyang, Hengyi Petrochemical, Tianlong, Lujian Caprolactam, Yangmei Coal Industry-Hengtian) is direct-application grade; coke-oven by-product AS (crystalline, Shougang, Baowu Steel, Sinosteel, HBIS) requires NPK-blender intermediate processing
  • Active US AD/CVD case number unverified at audit, verify access.trade.gov (since 2017-2018) imposes producer-specific rates 10-65% on Chinese AS; structurally uncompetitive in US lane; producer-specific routing required
  • EU CBAM Phase 1 from 1 January 2026 imposes by-product allocation methodology on AS embedded-emissions; caprolactam-coupled AS carries different attributed emissions than coke-oven by-product AS or direct-production AS
  • Brazilian SIPEAGRO is largest single export-market regulatory framework; Brazilian sulfur-deficiency cropping demand (cotton, soybean, sugar cane) is structural pull. Brazilian Real (BRL) FX volatility creates pricing complexity
  • Caprolactam capacity additions in China (Sinopec Yueyang Phase 2, Hengyi Phase 2, Tianlong expansion) extend AS by-product capacity; structural over-capacity may continue 2024-2026

Where to read next

For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for ammonium sulfate, see the CAS 7783-20-2 sourcing reference.

For grade-by-grade buying notes, freight maths, supplier-tier pricing, and a worked landed-cost example, the ammonium sulfate cornerstone hub covers the full sourcing chain.

For the structure and history of IECSC, see the IECSC glossary entry.

Need cross-jurisdiction compliance support on this substance? Run it through the REACH / TSCA / IECSC / AICIS / K-REACH checker, or send us the substance and the destination and we will quote FOB China and CIF / DDP landed including the regulatory work on the destination side.

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Cross-jurisdiction profile and sourcing references

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