Urea 46% N: a buying guide for importers and distributors

Urea is the most widely used nitrogen fertilizer in the world. With 46% nitrogen, it is the most concentrated solid nitrogen source on the market, lowering transport and application costs per unit of nutrient.

Reference technical specification

• Nitrogen (N): minimum 46.0%
• Biuret: maximum 1.0%
• Moisture: maximum 0.5%
• Particle size: prilled 1–2.8 mm; granular 2–5 mm
• Appearance: white, free-flowing granules

Prilled or granular

Prilled urea forms small spheres and dissolves quickly. Granular urea has larger, harder granules, better for mechanical spreading and NPK blends because it mixes well with other fertilizers of similar size.

Applications

• Cereals and oilseeds: maize, wheat, soybeans.
• Sugar cane and pasture.
• Feedstock for NPK compound fertilizers.

In warm soils with high pH, some nitrogen can be lost through volatilisation. Good soil incorporation or the use of inhibitors helps maximise efficiency.

Agricultural urea and automotive urea

Automotive urea (technical grade) is used to make AdBlue and has much tighter requirements: minimum 99.5% purity, biuret up to 0.3% and compliance with ISO 18611. It should not be confused with agricultural urea.

Typical commercial terms

• Incoterms: CFR or CIF port of destination.
• Payment: irrevocable documentary letter of credit.
• Volumes: deals from several thousand tonnes per cargo.
• Packing: bulk or 1,000 kg big bags.
• Inspection: certificate of analysis and independent inspection (SGS or Intertek) at loading.

Frequently asked questions

Why does biuret content matter?

Excess biuret can be toxic to some crops, especially in foliar applications. That is why the 1.0% limit is a key parameter.

What is the difference between CFR and CIF?

In both, the seller pays freight to the port of destination. Under CIF the seller also arranges cargo insurance.

Talk to Zuria

We supply agricultural and automotive urea from qualified producers, with independent analysis on every cargo. Explore our fertilizers area or request a quote.