UNITED STATES TARIFF COMMISSION PHOSPHATE FERTILIZER MATERIALS Tariff Status Par. 1685. Phosphate materials of fertilizer grade including basic slag, which were free of duty under the Tariff Act of 1922, are free of duty also under the Tariff Act of 1930. Their duty-free status was bound in the Geneva agreement; the duty-free status of basic slag and precipitated bone was previously bound in the trade agreement with Belgium, effective May 1935 Trade Statistics Table 1.- Phosphate fertilizer materials: United States 1/ Covers only production of superphosphate, normal and concentrated, which together are estimated to have accounted in prewar years for about 93 percent and in subsequent years for about 97 percent of all phosphate fertilizer materials produced (see table 2 and text for additional data). Value of production is estimated on basis of wholesale prices except in 1937 and 1939. 2/ Includes 140 thousand short tons, valued at 5,013 thousand dollars, exported under lend-lease. 2/ Preliminary, except for production. Does not include shipments, if any, to occupied areas under Army Civilian Supply Program. 5/ Includes shipments to occupied areas under Army Civilian Supply Program, as follows: 31 thousand short tons, valued at 2,287 thousand dollars, in 1947, and 243 thousand short tons, valued at 5,180 thousand dollars, in 1948. SUMMARIES OF TARIFF INFORMATION PHOSPHATE FERTILIZER MATERIALS Comment This summary covers all phosphate fertilizer materials except crude phosphates and apatite, 1 guano, 2/ animal carbon, and bone ash, meal and dust. 2/ The phosphate fertilizer materials covered in this summary are: the superphosphates (normal, concentrated, and ammoniated, which together account for the great bulk of phosphate fertilizer materials), ammoniated phosphate, 4/wet base goods, basic slag, and precipitated bone phosphate. While all of these materials contain phosphorous, not all of the phosphorous is available as plant food. Some is present in an insoluble form and has no commercial value. The soluble or available portion is referred to as available phosphoric acid (A.P.A.) and is expressed in terms of phosphoric acid anhydride or phosphorous pentoxide (P205). 5/ In general, phosphate fertilizer materials may be used interchangeably but their effectiveness varies with the available phosphoric acid (P205). Normal superphosphate is manufactured from phosphate rock and 60-70 percent strength sulfuric acid. For many years the most popular grade of normal superphosphate was that containing 16 percent available phosphoric acid, but shortly before World War II, the 20-percent grade gained prominence. Concentrated superphosphate is made by treating pulverized phosphate rock with phosphoric acid. Phosphoric acid is, in turn, produced from phosphate rock by means of sulfuric acid (wet process) or by the electric furnace process. The treatment of phosphate rock with phosphoric acid eliminates the formation of calcium sulfate and yields a product much higher in available phosphoric acid than when sulfuric acid alone is used. The most common grades of concentrated superphosphate are those containing 44, 45, and 47 percent available phosphoric acid. 17 See separate summary on "phosphates, crude, and apatite," duty-free under par. 1740. Crude phosphates (chiefly phosphate rock), and apatite are the raw materials from which the great bulk of phosphate fertilizer materials are produced. About 75 percent of the crude phosphates and apatite consumed in the United States in recent years went into superphosphates and a considerable part of the remainder was used in other forms as a fertilizer component. 2/ Some guanos from which the nitrogen has been leached are referred to as "phosphatic guanos." Phosphatic guanos contain about 20 to 25 percent phosphoric acid and 4 to 6 percent nitrogen. See separate summary on guano, par. 1685. Guano supplies only an insignificant part of the United States requirements for phosphate fertilizer materials. 2/ See separate summaries on animal carbon and on bones, crude, steamed or ground, duty-free under par. 1627. See also separate summary on limestone (a soil amendment) crude, crushed or broken (or pulverized), when imported to be used in the manufacture of fertilizer duty-free under par. 1685. Ammonium phosphate for industrial purposes is dutiable at 14 cents per pound (see separate summary, par. 7). Chemically, the term "phosphoric acid" designates a compound having the formula H3PO4. In the fertilizer industry the term "phosphoric acid" refers to phosphoric acid anhydride or phosphorous pentoxide (P205). The phosphorous in fertilizer materials is always expressed in terms of phosphorous pentoxide, although free phosphorous pentoxide is never found as such in fertilizers. The Association of Official Agricultural Chemists has adopted as official the following definition as applicable to the fertilizer industry: "The term phosphoric acid designates P205." UNITED STATES TARIFF COMMISSION PHOSPHATE FERTILIZER MATERIALS Ammoniated superphosphate is made by treating superphosphate with ammonia or with a solution containing free ammonia and other forms of nitrogen dissolved therein. Wet-base goods are made by treating phosphate rock and some nitrogenous material such as hair, leather, fur, felt, etc., with sulfuric acid. These goods are used in the manufacture of mixed fertilizers. The The ammonium phosphates include monoammonium and diammonium phosphates. These products are formed when phosphoric acid is neutralized with ammonia. monoammonium phosphate, which is the more satisfactory as a fertilizer, contains 12.1 percent nitrogen and 61.7 percent phosphoric acid. Basic slag is a byproduct of the manufacture of steel from iron ores containing a relatively large amount of phosphorous. Although produced in large quantities in some European countries, United States production of basic slag is small, since the phosphorous content of domestic iron ores is low. Precipitated bone phosphate is a byproduct from the manufacture of glue from bones and is obtained by neutralizing the hydrochloric acid solution of processed bone with calcium hydroxide. The phosphoric acid in precipitated bone phosphate is present chiefly as dicalcium phosphate. United States production of phosphate fertilizer materials is chiefly as normal superphosphate (see tables 1 and 2). The production of normal superphosphate averaged approximately 3 million short tons per year in 1937-39, and in the postwar years 1947-48 production averaged nearly 9,300,000 short tons, valued at 124 million dollars annually. Concentrated superphosphate production accounted for less than 4 percent of the total tonnage of phosphate fertilizer materials in 1946-48. Separate statistics are not available for the prewar years. The production of wetbase goods is less than 1 percent of the total production of phosphate fertilizer materials. Statistics are not available on the United States production of ammonium phosphates or precipitated bone phosphate. It is estimated, however, that production of ammonium phosphates in 1948 ranged between 7,000 and 10,000 short tons compared with a negligible production, if any, in prewar years. Production of precipitated bone phosphate is estimated at 1,500 short tons in 1937. Production of precipitated bone phosphate in subsequent years is believed to have been much smaller. Normal and concentrated superphosphate, and wet-base goods were produced in 182 plants in 1948. Two plants manufactured concentrated superphosphate exclusively. The remaining 180 plants all manufactured normal superphosphate; six also manufactured wet-base goods and four manufactured concentrated superphosphate. United States production of basic slag in 1949 was by one producer in Alabama. tistics on basic slag production, however, are not available since 1937 when 40,000 tons were produced (see table 2). Production in 1949 is believed to greatly exceed the 1937 output. Sta SUMMARIES OF TARIFF INFORMATION PHOSPHATE FERTILIZER MATERIALS Table 2.- Phosphate Fertilizer Materials: United States Statistics on production of ammonium phosphates and precipitated bone phosphate are not available. 2/ Not available. For some years, estimates are given in the text. 3/ Latest year available. United States production has been estimated at 28,000 short tons per year in 1933-35 and 40,320 short tons in 1936. Source: Official statistics of the U.S. Bureau of Mines. prices. Except for 1937 and 1939, value of production estimated on basis of wholesale Source: Official statistics of the U.S. Department of Commerce, except as noted. Note: For normal and concentrated superphosphate and wet base goods, all quantities are expressed in equivalent short tons of the indicated A.P.A. (available phosphoric acid in terms of P205) percentage content. Statistics for 1943 and 194648 include those for government-owned plants. In the fiscal year ended June 30, 1939, 68,926 short tons of superphosphate, basis 47 percent P205, was produced by the Tennessee Valley Authority. United States imports of phosphate fertilizer materials covered in this summary were equivalent to about 2 percent of domestic production in 1937-39 and to about 1 percent in 1946-48. Imports averaged about 73,000 short tons, valued at 2 million dollars (foreign value) annually during 1937-39 (see table 3). Of these imports ammonium phosphates were the most important, based on value, and accounted for about two-thirds of the total value in 1937-39. Imports in 1937-39 came chiefly from Canada, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. In 1943 and 1946-48 imports were chiefly ammonium phosphates and normal superphosphate and came almost entirely from Canada (see table 4). Imports averaged 106,000 short tons, valued at $5,274,000, in 1946-48. UNITED STATES TARIFF COMMISSION PHOSPHATE FERTILIZER MATERIALS Table 3.- Phosphate fertilizer materials: United States imports Calculated on the exact (i.e., unrounded) figures. 44.41 47.84 55.62 Source: Official statistics of the U. S. Department of Commerce. Note.- Imports of other phosphatic fertilizer materials, such as crude phosphates |