New GACC Regulation: Statutory inspection to be implemented for ammonium sulfate exports starting July 16

According to the website of the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China, on July 13, 2026, the GACC issued Announcement No. 97 of 2026, adjusting the "Catalogue of Import and Export Commodities Subject to Statutory Inspection." Statutory inspection requirements for export have been added for two types of ammonium sulfate commodities. The new regulations will be officially implemented on July 16, 2026.

The announcement clarifies that this adjustment involves two 10-digit HS codes: 3102210000 (Ammonium sulfate) and 3102290000 (Double salts and mixtures of ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate). The changes in supervision conditions are as follows:

1. HS 3102210000 Ammonium sulfate: The original supervision condition was only "A (Import Statutory Inspection)". After adjustment, it is changed to A/B, meaning statutory inspection will be implemented for both import and export;

2. HS 3102290000 Double salts and mixtures of ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate: Supervision condition B is added, formally including it in the category of export statutory inspection.

In customs supervision codes, A represents entry goods inspection and quarantine, and B represents exit goods inspection and quarantine. After the policy takes effect, foreign trade enterprises exporting the aforementioned ammonium sulfate products must apply to customs for export commodity inspection in accordance with the law during customs declaration, and can only clear customs for export after passing the inspection.

Overview of China's Ammonium Sulfate Export Market

Ammonium sulfate is a mainstream quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer and is also widely used in compound fertilizers, rare earth mining, fermentation industry, and other fields. The vast majority of ammonium sulfate in China is a by-product of coking and caprolactam chemical plants. The production scale is huge, and it has long supplied the international market in large quantities.

Industry data shows that in recent years, China's ammonium sulfate exports have maintained a steady growth trend. In 2025, the total annual export volume of ammonium sulfate exceeded 2.1 million tons (range of 2 million - 2.2 million tons based on different statistical calibers).

In terms of export destinations, Brazil is the largest overseas buyer of China's ammonium sulfate, where local sugarcane and soybean planting have strong demand for nitrogen fertilizers; followed by Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, and Myanmar. Turkey, India, and many West African countries are also important purchasers; South America and Southeast Asia together account for more than half of China's total ammonium sulfate exports.

For a long time, ammonium sulfate only required import statutory inspection, and export did not require statutory inspection. This policy adjustment will fill the gap in export quality supervision, standardize the quality of export commodities, reduce overseas quality disputes, and maintain the brand image of China's fertilizer exports.

Domestic Ammonium Sulfate Production Pattern

There are almost no dedicated synthetic ammonium sulfate plants in China; production is mainly by-product based. The sources of capacity are divided into two major sectors:

1. Caprolactam by-product ammonium sulfate: Leading domestic enterprises include Fujian Shenyuan New Materials, Yongrong Technology, Xuyang Group, etc. Shenyuan and Yongrong are concentrated in the Fujian region, and their caprolactam-supported ammonium sulfate capacity scales rank among the top in China; Xuyang Group has facilities in Cangzhou and Dongming, with a total caprolactam-supported ammonium sulfate capacity exceeding 1.1 million tons, making it an important domestic source for external sales.

2. Coking industry by-product ammonium sulfate: Distributed in major coke-producing areas such as Shanxi, Hebei, and Shandong, it is produced relying on coke oven gas desulfurization units in coking plants. There are numerous production enterprises, which form the foundation of domestic ammonium sulfate supply. The scale of single plants is generally smaller than that of caprolactam-supported units.

In addition, a small amount of supply comes from acrylonitrile and power plant flue gas desulfurization co-production units. The overall annual commercial circulation volume of domestic ammonium sulfate exceeds 10 million tons, and surplus supply continues to flow overseas after domestic consumption.

Brief Analysis of Industry Impact

The new regulations implemented on July 16 will directly change the operational procedures of relevant foreign trade enterprises. Export enterprises need to improve product quality inspection data in advance, reserve time for customs inspection and clearance, and reasonably arrange shipment plans.

Market analysts believe that in the short term, corporate clearance costs and stocking cycles may increase slightly; in the medium and long term, export statutory inspection will help eliminate low-quality supply sources, promote standardized industry exports, and benefit compliant large-scale production and trading enterprises.

Reminder: Starting from July 16, 2026, enterprises declaring export business for the above two HS codes must comply with the new inspection and supervision requirements. It is recommended to consult the local customs in advance for details on the inspection and declaration process.