Sulphuric‑acid shortage warning

India’s warning is simple: a shortage of sulphuric acid could hit factories and farms within weeks if imports tighten further. (businesstoday.in) Business Today reported on April 11 that industry bodies expect stocks to start shrinking in 15 to 20 days. The pressure comes from disrupted sulphur flows in West Asia and an expected halt in Chinese sulphuric acid exports from May. (businesstoday.in) China exported 4.6 million tonnes of sulphuric acid in 2025, and India took nearly 9% of those shipments, according to the Business Today report. Bloomberg reported on April 10 that Chinese producers had been told exports could be halted from May, with the restriction potentially lasting through 2026. (businesstoday.in) (bloomberg.com) Sulphuric acid is a basic industrial reagent that helps turn phosphate rock into fertiliser and clean or treat metal surfaces before manufacturing. Business Today said 3 million tonnes of sulphuric acid can produce enough fertiliser for nearly 22 million hectares of crops. (businesstoday.in) That puts more than fertiliser plants at risk. The chemical is also used in copper and zinc processing, oil refining, chemicals, textiles, detergents and batteries, and manufacturers in Maharashtra told The Times of India that steel pipe and copper units use it for pickling and surface treatment. (businesstoday.in) (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) The shortage starts one step earlier, with sulphur, the feedstock used to make sulphuric acid. Much of that sulphur is recovered during oil and gas refining, so refinery outages or blocked shipping routes quickly cut chemical supply. (businesstoday.in) (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) Bloomberg reported that the Iran war and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz have already blocked sulphur shipments from the Middle East, which produces about one-third of the world’s sulphur. Trading Economics said sulphur futures rose above 6,700 yuan a tonne in April and were up 167.10% from a year earlier as of April 10. (bloomberg.com) (tradingeconomics.com) Prices were already moving higher before this latest warning. Procurement Resource put India’s sulphuric acid price at $242 a metric tonne in January 2026, versus $231 a tonne in December 2025 and about $225 a tonne in October 2025. (procurementresource.com) Some sectors may feel the squeeze later than others. Sugar mill operators told The Times of India in March that the current crushing season was close to ending, but year-round users had only one to two weeks of stock if supply did not improve. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) The immediate question is whether India can replace lost Chinese and Gulf-linked volumes fast enough to keep fertiliser, metals and finishing shops supplied through the next few weeks. If not, a chemical most consumers never see will start showing up in factory delays and higher input costs. (businesstoday.in) (bloomberg.com)