DAP Fertiliser (18-46-0) from Iran: Specification, Cadmium and Supply Reality

Iran and DAP – the Honest Position First

We open this page differently from most, because an accurate expectation is worth more to you than a sales pitch.

Iran is not a long-established DAP export powerhouse. Until recently, Iran sourced essentially all of its phosphate and potash fertiliser from abroad. Domestic phosphate fertiliser manufacturing – phosphoric acid, TSP, DAP and dicalcium phosphate – is a relatively recent and expanding capability, built on Iran’s own phosphate rock deposits and on the sulphuric acid that comes with being structurally long on byproduct sulphur.

What that means for a buyer:

Export availability is real but limited, and it fluctuates. Domestic self-sufficiency is the first call on output. Export tonnage is not a standing surplus you can plan a year around without confirming it.
Anyone quoting you unlimited Iranian DAP at a keen price is probably offering traded material of another origin. Ask where it was made. This matters because the origin determines the cadmium content, which determines whether you can sell it in Europe.
The realistic Iranian plays are regional overland supply to neighbouring markets, opportunistic export parcels when domestic demand is covered, and – often the better conversation – Iran’s genuinely strong fertiliser exports in ammonium sulphate, sulphur bentonite and potassium sulphate.

If DAP at scale for a distant market is your requirement, we will tell you plainly whether Iranian supply can serve it before you spend time on it. The rest of this page is the specification work that applies whichever origin you end up buying from – and it is where most DAP buyers actually lose money.

What DAP Is and When It Is the Right Product

Diammonium phosphate, (NH₄)₂HPO₄, graded 18-46-0 – 18% nitrogen as ammonium, 46% phosphorus as P₂O₅, no potassium. It is the world’s most widely used phosphate fertiliser, for three reasons: the highest nutrient concentration of the common phosphates, excellent water solubility, and good handling as a hard granule.

Where it fits

Base and starter applications where phosphorus is the limiting nutrient.
Broadacre cereals, oilseeds, rice and maize.
As a phosphate component in bulk blends and compound NPK manufacture.

Where it does not fit, and you should say so

High-pH calcareous soils, where DAP’s strongly alkaline reaction zone around the granule can temporarily reduce phosphorus availability and promote ammonia volatilisation. On those soils – common across Iran, the Gulf, Central Asia and North Africa – MAP (monoammonium phosphate, 11-52-0), which reacts acidically, is frequently the better agronomic choice.
Placed in close contact with germinating seed, where ammonia release can damage seedlings. Separation or a lower rate is needed.

A distributor who can explain the DAP-versus-MAP distinction on calcareous soil sells more, and sells it to customers who come back.

Specification: What to Put in the Contract

The numbers everyone quotes

Total nitrogen: 18% minimum, all ammoniacal
Total P₂O₅: 46% minimum

The numbers that decide whether the product performs and clears customs

Water-soluble P₂O₅. The grade figure is total phosphate; what the crop gets quickly is the water-soluble fraction. Good DAP runs high, commonly above 80-90% of total P₂O₅. Specify a minimum – this is the single most informative quality number after the grade itself and it is routinely omitted.
Citrate-soluble / available P₂O₅ where your destination’s regulation defines the claim that way.
Cadmium – the gatekeeper for Europe. Sedimentary phosphate rock naturally carries cadmium, and it concentrates into the finished phosphate. The EU Fertilising Products Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 caps cadmium in phosphate fertilisers, expressed per kilogram of P₂O₅, and the limit is binding regardless of how good the product is in every other respect. Cadmium is a property of the rock deposit, not of the plant. Require a cadmium figure on the shipped lot, tied to a named rock source, and verify it independently. Buyers who skip this discover it at the border.
Other heavy metals – arsenic, lead, mercury, nickel, chromium VI – to your destination’s limits.
Radioactivity. Phosphate rock carries naturally occurring uranium and its decay products, and some destinations test for it. Ask whether it has been measured; many suppliers have never been asked.
Moisture. Drives caking. Specify a low maximum and verify it at loading, not at production.
Granule size distribution. Typically 2-4 mm, with a stated percentage in range. If your customer bulk blends, size matching with the other components is not optional – mismatched granules segregate in handling and spreading and the field receives a striped application.
Crush strength and maximum fines/dust, measured after a handling simulation rather than straight off the line. Dust is unspreadable, unsaleable and a handling nuisance.
Free acidity / pH of solution.
Anti-caking coating – whether used, which agent, at what dose, and whether it is acceptable in your market.
Colour and appearance. Specify it; it is the cheapest early indicator that something changed at source.

Caking, Blending and Packaging

Two failures account for most DAP complaints, and neither is about chemistry.

Caking. DAP is hygroscopic. Fine material under pallet weight, in a container that heats and cools across a sea crossing, with moisture present, sets into a block that cannot be spread or blended. Control it in the contract on four fronts: a verified moisture maximum at loading, PP woven bags with a sealed PE inner liner, a specified anti-caking agent, and container preparation – lining, desiccant, limited hot-port dwell, and a stated pallet stacking height limit.

Segregation in blends. If the product goes into a bulk blend, granule size distribution must match the other components. Ask your customer what they do with it before you choose the specification. This one question prevents a large share of field complaints.

Standard packing is 25 kg or 50 kg bags, or 1,000-1,250 kg FIBC with liner, with bulk available for buyers who have covered handling and accept the higher moisture risk. Mark with grade, nutrient percentages, net weight, lot number, production date, origin, producer code, storage instructions and destination regulatory information.

Compliance & Certification

EU: the Fertilising Products Regulation (EU) 2019/1009, with the cadmium cap above and the full contaminant panel. Decide early whether you are going the CE route or national mutual recognition.
REACH registration status where the EU is the destination.
Destination fertiliser registration – required in most markets before first import, often taking months. Start it before you order; it is usually the critical path.
Organic certification: DAP is not permitted in certified organic production. Do not market it into that channel.
SDS in GHS format in the destination language. DAP is not normally a dangerous good for transport – a practical advantage over nitrate-based products – but confirm rather than assume.
Sanctions and banking must be resolved for your jurisdiction before you commit. We will tell you plainly what is workable.

MOQ, Lead Time & Incoterms

MOQ follows container and vessel economics – roughly 25-27 tonnes bagged in a 20’ container, with bulk parcels for larger buyers. In practice the binding constraint on Iranian DAP is availability, not minimum quantity.

Lead time for production is typically 2-5 weeks once a parcel is confirmed, but confirmation itself is the uncertain step here and can take longer than the production. Destination registration runs in parallel and is usually longer than both.

Incoterms: FOB Bandar Abbas for sea freight; EXW is common and economically sensible for overland movement to Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Central Asia – which is where the most reliable Iranian phosphate business is done. CFR/CIF available. Fix in the contract who commissions and pays for the independent cadmium and nutrient analysis and the pre-shipment inspection.

Price & Total Cost of Ownership

Compare on cost per unit of P₂O₅ delivered, landed – and then on cost per unit of water-soluble P₂O₅, which is what the crop actually uses.
Phosphate rock, sulphur, sulphuric acid and ammonia prices drive the base, and DAP is a globally traded commodity whose price moves with all four.
Rock source determines cadmium, which determines market access – so a low-cadmium product is genuinely worth more into Europe and should be priced as such.
Granule quality – size, hardness, low dust – carries a real premium and is worth paying where the product will be blended.
Freight is significant on a dense commodity; origin proximity favours regional buyers.
Registration and compliance are largely one-off and hurt most on a small first order.

The expensive failures: a cadmium result above the destination limit, a caked container, and a blend that segregated. All three are prevented by specification and testing that cost a fraction of the loss.

How IranLocalize Reduces Your Risk

Availability verification first. Before anything else, we establish whether a genuine Iranian parcel exists for your window and volume – or whether what you are being offered is traded material of another origin. You get a straight answer, including “not available”.
Producer and rock-source verification. We confirm the plant manufactures rather than re-bags, and identify the phosphate rock source, because that is what sets your cadmium.
Specification drafting – N, total and water-soluble P₂O₅, cadmium and the full heavy metal panel, moisture, granule size, crush strength, maximum dust, free acidity, coating.
Independent laboratory testing on the shipped lot, with cadmium always included.
Blend compatibility – we match granule size to the other components when your customer blends.
Caking prevention – moisture verified at loading, sealed liner, container preparation, stacking limits.
Regulatory support on destination registration, EU FPR route and SDS.
Pre-shipment inspection – bag weight and seal integrity, moisture, granule condition and dust, sampling for retained analysis, container lining, loading supervision.

RFQ Checklist – Send This to Get a Precise Quote

Product and grade – DAP 18-46-0, or MAP 11-52-0 if your soils are calcareous.
Quantity, packaging and timing window.
Destination country – determines registration, cadmium and contaminant limits.
Minimum total P₂O₅ and minimum water-soluble P₂O₅.
Maximum cadmium, stated per kg P₂O₅, plus other heavy metal limits.
Granule size range, and the blend components if it will be blended.
Maximum moisture and anti-caking requirement.
Crush strength and maximum fines after handling.
Whether you require the phosphate rock source identified.
Packaging – 25 kg, 50 kg, FIBC or bulk; private label yes/no.
Incoterm, destination port or border crossing.
Your registration status in the destination market.

Buyer Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Specifying only 18-46-0. Fix: add water-soluble P₂O₅, cadmium, granule size, dust and moisture.
Never testing cadmium. It is a property of the rock and it is the EU gatekeeper. Fix: test every lot, tied to a named rock source.
Assuming the origin on the offer is the origin of the product. Fix: ask where it was manufactured and verify.
Using DAP on calcareous soils without discussion. Fix: understand the DAP/MAP distinction and advise accordingly.
Ignoring granule size when the customer blends. Fix: match the blend.
Under-specifying the bag. Fix: sealed PE liner, verified moisture, prepared container, stacking limit.
Planning a long-term programme on unconfirmed Iranian availability. Fix: confirm the parcel before you commit downstream.
Starting destination registration after ordering. Fix: start it first.

FAQs

Can Iran actually supply DAP for export? Sometimes, in parcels, and increasingly as domestic phosphate capacity expands – but it is not a standing export surplus. We verify availability for your specific window before you commit, and we say so when the answer is no.

DAP or MAP? DAP where soil pH is neutral to acidic and you want the extra nitrogen. MAP on calcareous, high-pH soils, where its acidic reaction zone keeps phosphorus more available and avoids ammonia volatilisation.

Why does cadmium matter so much? Sedimentary phosphate rock carries cadmium, which concentrates into the finished fertiliser, and the EU caps it per kilogram of P₂O₅. It is determined by the rock deposit, not by the plant, so it cannot be processed out at the point of purchase – it has to be bought right.

Will it cake in transit? It will if moisture, packaging and stowage are uncontrolled. With a sealed liner, verified low moisture and a prepared container, it arrives free-flowing.

Is it a dangerous good? Not normally – a practical advantage over ammonium nitrate. Confirm the classification for your route.

Can I use it in organic farming? No. DAP is not permitted under organic standards.

What is a realistic first order? One container with independent analysis including cadmium and water-soluble P₂O₅, with destination registration already in hand or in progress.

Collaboration Workflow with IranLocalize

Send your RFQ with destination, volume and timing. We check real availability before quoting.
We shortlist verified producers and state clearly who manufactures and who trades, and from which rock source.
Sample approval from current production, with retained samples on both sides.
Independent testing – N, total and water-soluble P₂O₅, cadmium and heavy metals, moisture, granule size, dust after handling.
Regulatory workstream – destination registration, EU FPR route and SDS, in parallel.
Contract with hard specs, retained-sample rights, inspection rights and penalties.
Production and pre-shipment inspection with photographic evidence and verified loading condition.
Shipping and documentation.
Post-season review feeding into the next order’s specification.

Executive Summary

The honest position: Iran is an emerging rather than established DAP export origin, built on domestic phosphate rock and abundant sulphuric acid, with availability that must be confirmed parcel by parcel rather than assumed.
What actually matters: water-soluble P₂O₅, cadmium, granule size and dust, and moisture – not the 18-46-0 grade, which every producer meets.
Where buyers lose money: a cadmium result discovered at the EU border, a caked container, and a blend that segregated in the field.
Why IranLocalize: we confirm whether the parcel genuinely exists before you plan around it, identify the rock source behind your cadmium figure, specify beyond the grade, and test the shipped lot – and we route you to the Iranian fertilisers that genuinely have export depth when DAP does not.

Looking at Iranian DAP? Tell us your destination, volume and timing window. We will tell you honestly what is available, what the cadmium position is, and whether another Iranian fertiliser serves you better.