Sulphur price FOB Vancouver
Primary North American Pacific export hub for formed granular recovered sulphur and the desk reference frame for sulphur price FOB Vancouver contracts. Alberta and British Columbia producers move molten sulphur by heated railcar to inland solidification plants, then ship solid product on CN and CPKC to Lower Mainland terminals for bulk vessel loading. The hub clears Canadian surplus into Asia, Oceania, and increasingly diversified Americas destinations when Middle East or Atlantic routes tighten. Sulfur Wire publishes provenance-tagged public anchors (SR-VAN-FOB-G, SR-VAN-FOB); licensed PRA weekly assessments are not redistributed here.
Linked indices: SR-VAN-FOB-G, SR-VAN-FOB
Products: formed granular, prill, pastille pellet
Inland logistics: Molten UN 2448 heated tank cars from oil sands upgraders and sour gas plants to forming/remelt sites (Keyera, Heartland, producer and Sultran network sites). Formed product rail to tidewater.
Terminals
- Pacific Coast Terminals (PCT) (Port Moody, BC): Berth 2 bulk sulfur; 11.9 m depth; single-quadrant loader; Panamax-capable LOA band.
- Vancouver Wharves (North Vancouver, BC): Berth 4 dual-quadrant; 12.8 m depth; large on-dock stockpile capability.
2021–2026 by year
- 2021: VFPA fertilizer-category sulfur exports 2.29 Mt. Soft volumes versus later years; China about 0.44 Mt. Post-pandemic phosphate demand recovering; forming capacity expansions (Cheecham) still under construction.
- 2022: Exports 2.79 Mt (+22% y/y). Spot FOB midpoints briefly approached multi-year highs (Argus cited midpoint near $478/t then under $65/t within months) as phosphate demand surged then collapsed. Jan–Oct already exceeded full-year 2021.
- 2023: Exports 3.10 Mt. Keyera/Enbridge South Cheecham forming started Q3, adding Fort McMurray solids into the rail-to-tidewater chain. China about 1.16 Mt of Vancouver sulfur.
- 2024: Exports about 3.35 Mt. Steady Pacific seaborne clearing of Western Canada recovered sulfur; remelt economics still selective versus block pour costs.
- 2025: Exports 3.51 Mt (+5% y/y). Destination mix included China, Australia, Indonesia, United States (+191% y/y to ~302 kt), Cuba, Brazil. Alberta inventories fell toward multi-year lows (AER 11.66 Mt July) as remelt/export margins improved. Heartland remelt de-bottlenecked to 700 t/d.
- 2026: Pacific route avoided Hormuz/Red Sea chokepoints that disrupted Middle East sulfur into Asia, supporting Canada as a swing Pacific supplier. Inventory remelt remains the incremental supply lever; crushed lump cannot load Vancouver without remelt/form.
Recent notes
- Vancouver Fraser Port Authority reported fertilizer-category sulfur exports of about 3.10 Mt (2023), 3.35 Mt (2024), and 3.51 Mt (2025). source
- 2025 destination mix publicly listed China, Australia, Indonesia, United States (+191% y/y to ~302 kt), Cuba, and Brazil among others. source
- Alberta inventories fell toward multi-year lows in mid-2025 as remelt and export margins improved (AER data via Argus). source
- Pacific route avoided Hormuz/Red Sea chokepoints that disrupted Middle East sulfur into Asia in 2026, supporting Canada as a swing Pacific supplier in trade commentary. source
Related
- Sulphur price FOB Vancouver explainer
- Price anchor charts
- Vancouver export volumes
- Vancouver vs US Gulf basis
- Sultran / PCT terminals
- Vancouver berth board
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