Solutions
Choosing Between Ammonium Chloride and Sulphate Grades
Nitrogen is the element a buyer thinks about; chloride is the one that decides where a nitrogen source can be used. Ammonium chloride fertilizer carries nitrogen at 24.5% minimum on a dry basis in our agricultural grade, produced to GB/T 2946-2018, and it is a quick-acting nitrogen source that suits a wide range of field crops. The same chloride that makes it economical is the reason it needs care on crops that are sensitive to salt in the root zone.
This page sets out where ammonium chloride fits, which crop groups call for caution, and what a chloride-free or low-chloride programme looks like when it is the better choice. It is written for the buyer who has to decide the nitrogen source for a programme — distributors, plantation groups and the agronomists who advise them — and it deliberately stops short of crop-specific rate advice, because that belongs with your own agronomist and your local conditions.
Two things are worth stating plainly at the start. First, the confirmed agricultural grade here is ammonium chloride with a stated nitrogen content and a stated chloride content on the certificate of analysis, not an approximation. Second, fertilizer-grade ammonium chloride is subject to commodity inspection for export from China, so each shipment is inspected — that is a fact of the trade and it is built into our lead times rather than discovered at the port.
The problem
What this page is here to solve
Assuming one nitrogen source suits every block
Chloride accumulates in the root zone under irrigation and in protected culture, and the crops that suffer first are the ones long understood to be sensitive to salt. A programme that pools all its nitrogen into one product is efficient on paper and expensive in the field when half the blocks need a different source.
Judging a product by nitrogen content alone
Two nitrogen sources with similar analysis do not behave the same way, because the accompanying ion is part of the product's effect on the soil. The certificate of analysis states the chloride figure for our agricultural grade, so the comparison can be made on data rather than on the trade name.
Advice that goes further than the data
A supplier's website is not a soil laboratory. Crop sensitivity to chloride varies with soil, irrigation water, cultivar and climate, and a general list printed by a supplier is a prompt to ask the question, not an answer to it. We state what our product contains and leave the agronomic decision where it belongs.
Documents that do not match the declared use
Agricultural-grade and non-fertilizer-grade ammonium chloride are classified and handled differently, and a declaration that does not match the actual use is a problem for the importer at the port. We quote the grade for the use you state, and we confirm the current export position for the exact product name before quoting.
Recommended configuration
Choosing a nitrogen route for a sensitive block
The comparison below is about the nitrogen source and its accompanying ion. Which route suits a given block depends on your soil, your irrigation water and your crop, and that decision is yours and your agronomist's.
| Route | Confirmed product & figures | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Chloride-based nitrogen | Ammonium chloride, agricultural grade · total nitrogen ≥ 24.5% (dry basis) · moisture ≤ 3% · sodium as NaCl ≤ 1.2% · pH 4.0–6.0 (200 g/L) · GB/T 2946-2018 | Quick-acting nitrogen for chlorine-tolerant field crops; also a feedstock for compound blends |
| Compound nitrogen with magnesium and zinc | High-tower compound fertilizer NPK 25-12-8 + 2MgO + 0.2Zn · chloride ≤ 3.0% · total nutrients ≥ 45% · GB/T 15063-2020 | Granular programme where a compound analysis and mechanical spreading suit the block |
| Water-soluble route | Macro-element water-soluble fertilizer 19-19-19 or 20-20-20 + 2MgO + TE · NY/T 1107-2020 | Fully soluble grades where the block is fertigated and the mix is controlled at the tank |
| Magnesium without chloride | Anhydrous magnesium sulfate · MgSO4 ≥ 98% · chloride ≤ 0.2% | Magnesium and sulfur input where a chloride-free programme is wanted |
Specifications shown are indicative; the controlling values are those in the technical data sheet (TDS) and the batch certificate of analysis issued for your order.
Why work with us
Written into the quotation, not into an advert
For a decision about the salt load in a block, the useful supplier is the one who states figures and stops talking. These are the points we put in writing.
- Total nitrogen and chloride-related figures stated with the grade, not summarised as a trade name
- Certificate of analysis per batch, so the figures behind a programme can be checked shipment by shipment
- Agricultural grade and non-fertilizer grade quoted and handled as separate products, with the use confirmed first
- Commodity inspection for fertilizer-grade ammonium chloride built into the lead time rather than discovered at the port
- A chloride-free magnesium option, so a sensitive block does not have to take magnesium with chloride
- We stop where our data stops: crop-specific rate advice is your agronomist's call, and we say so
FAQ
Questions buyers ask about this
- What is ammonium chloride fertilizer normally used for?
- Our agricultural grade is a quick-acting nitrogen source at 24.5% minimum total nitrogen on a dry basis, used for base and top dressing of chlorine-tolerant field crops and as a feedstock for compound fertilizer blends. It is not intended for food or feed use, and it calls for care on crops sensitive to chloride in the root zone.
- Which crops are sensitive to chloride?
- The crops conventionally treated as chloride-sensitive include tobacco, potato, sweet potato and citrus, and the degree of sensitivity varies with soil, irrigation water, cultivar and climate. That variability is why we do not publish a rate recommendation: treat any supplier's crop list as a prompt to ask your own agronomist about your specific block.
- Is there a chloride-free option if my crop is sensitive?
- For magnesium, yes — anhydrous magnesium sulfate at 98% minimum MgSO4 carries chloride at 0.2% maximum and is the usual route where a chloride-free magnesium input is wanted. For nitrogen, the choice is between a granular compound programme and a fully water-soluble grade, and the right one depends on whether the block is fertigated.
- Does agricultural-grade ammonium chloride need special export handling?
- Fertilizer-grade ammonium chloride is listed in China's catalogue of commodities subject to mandatory export inspection, so each shipment is inspected. We confirm the current position for the exact product name and grade before quoting, and build the inspection into the lead time.
- Do you supply crop-specific application advice?
- We state what the product contains and how the grades compare, and we stop there. Rates and timing depend on your soil test, water analysis, cultivar and climate, and that guidance should come from your agronomist or extension service rather than from a supplier's web page.
Related
Specifications, documents and buying notes
Ammonium Chloride (Agricultural Grade)
Fertilizer-grade NH₄Cl, total nitrogen ≥ 24.5% (dry basis), for rice, wheat, maize and cotton.
Anhydrous Magnesium Sulfate
Anhydrous MgSO₄ ≥98% — magnesium raw material for fertilizer, desiccant and industrial use.
High-Tower Compound Fertilizer
High-tower granulated NPK 25-12-8 with magnesium and zinc for field, orchard and vegetable crops.
Ammonium Chloride: Fertilizer Grade vs Industrial Grade — What Importers Must Know
Fertilizer-grade and industrial-grade ammonium chloride carry different customs classifications and different export inspection rules. How to specify NH4Cl correctly before you quote.
Related applications
Other application pages on the same theme
Organised the way buyers ask about them — pick whichever page is closest to your situation.
For brand owners
Private-Label & OEM Fertilizer: Your Brand, Our Production
Your brand on our production: bag, label and shipping-mark options for water-soluble and compound fertilizer.
For importers & distributors
Water-Soluble & Compound Fertilizer for Importers and Distributors
Bulk water-soluble and compound fertilizer, quoted against your written specification and shipped with a batch certificate of analysis.
Crop & agronomy
Magnesium Sulphate and NPK for Citrus Orchards
A chloride-free magnesium input and water-soluble NPK grades for citrus orchards, quoted against your specification.
Tell us the block and the constraint
Describe the crop group, the soil or water constraint and the grade you are considering. We will confirm the figures on our side and tell you plainly where our data stops.