US Monocalcium Phosphate Prices Jump 8.1% in July as Hormuz Disruption and Feed Demand Drive Sharp Gains

Monocalcium phosphate monohydrate CFR New York prices surged 8.1% in July 2026, recording the most significant monthly price increase in the US Monocalcium phosphate import market since the height of the Middle East supply disruption in April, as a convergence of renewed Strait of Hormuz supply constraints, elevated phosphoric acid feedstock costs, active summer livestock feed procurement, and elevated transpacific freight rates combining to push landed cost economics sharply higher through the month.

Monocalcium phosphate — chemically Ca(H2PO4)2 — is produced by reacting calcium carbonate or calcium hydroxide with phosphoric acid under controlled conditions, with China the world's largest producer and exporter, followed by Morocco through OCP Group's downstream operations. The July re-escalation of US-Iran hostilities on July 9 — which caused Strait of Hormuz shipping volumes to plummet again with only single-digit vessel transits during certain periods — reproduced the supply chain stress, restricting the movement of sulphur and phosphate raw materials from Gulf producers and tightening phosphoric acid availability for Monocalcium phosphate manufacturers in China and Morocco simultaneously.

In March 2026, freight and rising war-risk insurance raised landed costs, directly lifting CFR New York offers, with seasonal restocking by feed premix blenders increasing buying urgency and translating into firmer near-term import demand, while container shortages and constrained booking windows tightened supply flexibility. The July dynamic closely mirrored this prior-period stress, with transpacific freight rates remaining elevated following the conflict re-escalation and war-risk insurance premiums on Asian-origin Monocalcium phosphate cargoes adding a material component to CFR New York landed cost calculations.

On the demand side, the summer livestock build cycle — the most predictable and consistent seasonal procurement pattern in the US Monocalcium phosphate market — provided robust buying support through July. Over 71% of US feed producers integrate Monocalcium phosphate for enhanced phosphorus intake in poultry and swine nutrition, with around 34% of Monocalcium phosphate demand in the US attributed to feed applications, making the summer poultry and swine production season a reliable and significant demand catalyst. US poultry processors — operating broiler grow-out cycles that require consistent Monocalcium phosphate supplementation in feed premix formulations — maintained active procurement schedules, competing with swine and cattle nutrition buyers for available import volumes at CFR New York.

Looking ahead, August 2026 is anticipated to see a moderate further price increase in US Monocalcium phosphate CFR New York values. The structural supply chain constraints — tightened phosphoric acid feedstock availability from Gulf sulphur disruptions, elevated freight costs on the Asia-US lane, and war-risk insurance premiums — are expected to remain in place through August as the Strait of Hormuz situation shows no immediate sign of full normalization. Simultaneously, the autumn pre-season feed inventory building cycle is expected to begin in late August across US poultry and swine production regions, adding a fresh demand catalyst ahead of the winter livestock production season. The combination of persisting supply chain cost inflation and renewed seasonal demand activity is expected to sustain the upward pricing trajectory for Monocalcium phosphate established through July, with the August gain anticipated to be moderate rather than extraordinary as buyers manage procurement timing carefully in the elevated-cost environment.