Sulfur Wire North American sulfur intelligence

Outlook · 2026-10-19

Vancouver FOB resets near 835 dollars as China spot prints 6,077 yuan against AER August stock at 11.04 Mt

North America map of sulfur hubs
North American recovered-sulfur geography: Alberta inventory, Vancouver stem, US Gulf and Tampa. Sulfur Wire · Original
Formed sulfur at a Pacific bulk terminal, the visual of Alberta tonnes waiting on the Vancouver stem.
Formed sulfur at a Pacific bulk terminal, the visual of Alberta tonnes waiting on the Vancouver stem.

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The North American sulfur desk entered the week of 19 October with a lower open Vancouver FOB band, a weaker Chinese domestic tape, and the same Alberta government inventory close that has anchored the corridor since late September. ChemPriceHub's 15 October international sulfur roundup reported Vancouver spot FOB transactions at 830 to 840 dollars per metric tonne, a mid of 835 dollars in the platform public_reference series, down 50 dollars on the week in that open note. That print replaces the prior open BC Insight 1,100 to 1,200 dollar Vancouver band last left on 18 to 19 September and is the FOB hub context used below. FOB US Gulf granular mid about 1,125 dollars per tonne as of 1 July 2026 remains the last structured Gulf anchor in the series. Middle East October producer contracts on the open SMM notice span 820 to 890 dollars per tonne FOB, with QatarEnergy at 835 dollars used as the displayed Middle East mid. The last material open-news Tampa molten settlement remains third-quarter 2026 at 705 dollars per long ton delivered. USGS Mineral Industry Surveys remain paused during the ScienceBase migration, so monthly US production prints are still December 2025 at latest posted.

Chinese boards moved lower after the National Day holiday hold. Shengyishe's 19 October morning wire put the national sulfur benchmark at 6,652.33 yuan per metric tonne, about 13.45 percent below the 7,685.67 yuan month-start reference in the same statistics block. Tonghuashun iFind's same-day spot relay printed 6,076.75 yuan per tonne, down 575.58 yuan day on day, an 8.65 percent move, with cumulative losses of 1,242.25 yuan over the prior week and 1,592.25 yuan over the prior month in that table. Shandong plant wires on the open PriceSeek feed cut further, including Dongming liquid at 5,000 yuan and solid at 6,500 yuan on 19 October. Coastal inventory is no longer the stale 23 September 940,200 tonne stamp: Shengyishe's 19 October port wire put monitored coastal elemental sulfur at 1.1198 million tonnes, about 3,700 tonnes below the 1.1235 million tonne 15 October tally, with Fangcheng at 420,000 tonnes, Zhanjiang at 360,000 tonnes, Zhenjiang at 205,000 tonnes, Dafeng at 82,000 tonnes, Beihai at 18,000 tonnes, and Nanjing at 10,000 tonnes.

Alberta inventory remains a verified_public August close. The Alberta Energy Regulator ST3 file, run date 28 September 2026, puts province-wide closing inventory at 11,042,851.4 tonnes for August 2026, about 11.04 million tonnes in desk rounding, down from the July close of 11,109,610.9 tonnes. August production printed 328,937.3 tonnes and August removals from Alberta printed 178,425.2 tonnes, with year-to-date production through August at 2,759,234.3 tonnes and year-to-date removals at 1,305,435.1 tonnes. The August draw of roughly 67,000 tonnes keeps the stockpile on a slow remelt and removal path. No September 2026 ST3 close was on the open PDF at desk time.

Canada's export lane is still anchored on 2025 verified port totals and mid-2026 customs snapshots rather than a fresh Vancouver monthly for 2026. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority 2025 Statistics Overview keeps sulphur through the port at 3,507,428 metric tonnes, up 5 percent year on year. Platform export history still shows the newest reported Vancouver month as September 2025 at about 386,000 tonnes on an industry_estimate run-rate, with August 2025 verified at 304,675 tonnes. Prior open SMM customs commentary put China August elemental sulfur imports at 272,323 tonnes, down 65.03 percent year on year, with Canada listed among top origins. Elemental sulfur under heading 2503 remained off Ottawa's September retaliation lists in prior open coverage, so Alberta forming plants still watch stem economics more than tariff headlines.

Freight netbacks now clear off the lower Vancouver FOB mid, not the September eleven-hundred-dollar band. Platform netbacks.json as of 15 October uses the public_reference Vancouver mid of 835 dollars plus a Vancouver-China freight mid of about 28 dollars to imply about 863 dollars CFR China, versus an implied Middle East-China stack near 925 dollars when the October Middle East mid of 835 dollars is combined with a stress-period freight mid near 90 dollars. Those freight midpoints remain platform_estimate and industry_estimate lanes as of 1 July 2026, not new fixture prints. A fresher open logistics marker is ChemPortal's 15 October sulphur dashboard freight row for Vancouver to China on 50 to 60 thousand tonne parcels at 38 to 43 dollars per tonne. Stacked on the 830 to 840 dollar Vancouver FOB transactions, that band implies about 868 to 883 dollars CFR China before conversion and quality adjustments, a desk-level check against the weaker yuan spot screen rather than a contract print. Sulfur Wire does not paste licensed Argus or PetroGeneral weekly FOB assessment bands from ChemPortal's spot grid.

The corridor read into 19 October is therefore a Vancouver FOB reset against a Chinese spot break, with Alberta block stock still measured at 11.04 million tonnes. Public_reference hubs now show Vancouver granular mid 835 dollars as of 15 October, US Gulf mid 1,125 dollars, Tampa molten 705 dollars per long ton, and Middle East mid 835 dollars. Shengyishe at 6,652.33 yuan, iFind spot at 6,076.75 yuan, and coastal stocks at 1.1198 million tonnes are the China prints. Canada on a multi-year export upswing with 2025 Vancouver throughput at 3.51 million tonnes remains the Pacific clearance record when enquiry returns.

Key points

  • ChemPriceHub 15 Oct (public_reference / industry_estimate): Vancouver FOB transactions 830 to 840 dollars/t (mid 835); down 50 dollars on the week in that open roundup.
  • Platform hubs as of 19 Oct series: Vancouver 835 dollars/t (15 Oct); US Gulf 1,125 dollars/t (1 Jul); Tampa molten 705 dollars/lt (Q3 open-news); ME FOB mid 835 dollars/t (Oct QatarEnergy on SMM notice; producer span 820 to 890).
  • Shengyishe 19 Oct national benchmark: 6,652.33 yuan/t; about 13.45 percent below 7,685.67 yuan month-start reference in the same wire.
  • Tonghuashun iFind 19 Oct spot: 6,076.75 yuan/t, down 575.58 yuan d/d (−8.65%); week loss 1,242.25 yuan; month loss 1,592.25 yuan per table.
  • China coastal sulfur stocks: 1.1198 Mt on 19 Oct Shengyishe port wire (vs 1.1235 Mt on 15 Oct); Fangcheng 420,000 t; Zhanjiang 360,000 t; Zhenjiang 205,000 t.
  • AER ST3 Aug 2026 (run date 28 Sep 2026): Alberta closing inventory 11,042,851.4 t (~11.04 Mt); Aug production 328,937.3 t; Aug removals 178,425.2 t; Jul close 11,109,610.9 t (verified_public).
  • VFPA 2025 sulphur throughput: 3,507,428 t (+5% y/y). Newest platform Vancouver month: Sep 2025 ~386 kt (industry_estimate); Aug 2025 304,675 t (verified_public).
  • Freight/netback context: platform Van mid 835 plus ~28 freight → ~863 implied CFR China; ME mid 835 plus ~90 freight → ~925 implied CFR China (netbacks.json as of 15 Oct; freight lanes as of 1 Jul 2026). ChemPortal open freight row 15 Oct: Vancouver-China 38 to 43 dollars/t on 50 to 60 kt parcels → about 868 to 883 dollars stacked on 830 to 840 FOB.
  • Last open-news Tampa Q3 molten print: 705 dollars/lt delivered (Argus open news, 13 Jul 2026). Gulf granular mid ~1,125 dollars/t (1 Jul 2026 open-news anchor).
  • UNCERTAIN: next open Vancouver FOB sale print that confirms or revises the 830 to 840 band; AER ST3 September close when the PDF updates; VFPA or StatCan HS 2503 tables for 2026 monthly export pace; whether yuan spot near 6,077 sustains import bids with coastal stocks still above 1.1 Mt.

30-day watchlist

  • Open trade-press Vancouver FOB band revisions after the 15 October 830 to 840 dollar ChemPriceHub print.
  • Shengyishe national benchmark and iFind spot path below 6,700 and 6,100 yuan, plus Shandong plant offer stacks.
  • Fresh coastal port inventory wires versus the 19 October 1.1198 Mt stamp.
  • AER ST3 September closing inventory when the current PDF updates beyond August 2026.
  • VFPA monthly updates and StatCan HS 2503 tables that change 2026 export pace versus 2025's 3.51 Mt Vancouver print.
  • ChemPortal or other open freight rows for Vancouver-China on 50 kt-plus parcels versus the platform 28 dollar mid.
  • Open Tampa or US Gulf granular prints that refresh the July contract and spot anchors.
  • Covered-list and retaliation calendar text for any HS 2503 listing.

Sources

Public reference summary for recovered sulfur logistics and open trade-press context. Not investment advice. Licensed Argus/Platts weekly assessment numbers are not reproduced here.

Alberta sulfur inventory, year-end prints Mt 2022 12 2023 12 2024 12 2025 11 2026 11 AER ST3 closing inventory (verified_public)
Alberta sulfur inventory, year-end prints AER ST3 closing inventory (verified_public)

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2026-10-05Outlook stream