Maritime & Shipping, Fertilizers, Chemicals, Agriculture, Containers, Pesticides
May 28, 2025
Platts to change European potassium chloride assessments July 1
Platts, part of S&P Global Commodity Insights, will change its methodology for the potassium chloride CFR W Europe and FOB Baltic assessments, effective July 1.
For the CFR W Europe standard and granular assessments (FKCID04 & FKCIR04), Antwerp will replace the broader western European area as the discharge port, reflecting its increased use as a regional hub. The minimum cargo size for the assessments will increase to 25,000 mt from 6,000 mt. Following these changes, the assessments will better reflect large cargo deliveries into the region.
The FOB Baltic standard and granular assessments (FKCIF04& FKCIO04) will be reformed to reflect growth in long-range exports from the region. The minimum cargo size will be changed to 30,000 mt from 6,000 mt, while St. Petersburg will replace the wider Baltic area as the basis port.
Platts will also launch a single number "close" value for all four assessments, with standardized high and low ranges $1/mt above (high) and below (low) the close value.
Changes to the CFR W Europe assessments are detailed as follows:
| CFR W Europe | Current specifications | Proposed specifications |
| Assessment name |
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| Platts symbol |
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| Quantity | Minimum size 6,000 mt | Basis 25,000 mt |
| Basis and location | Based on spot sales. Countries covered: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain. Discharge ports: All ports in the covered countries, imports also via rail. Where sales are confirmed on a CPT or FCA basis, these can also be reflected once it has been netted back to CFR. Where no standard grade MOP sales have been confirmed, Platts will use the known granular MOP price and apply the prevailing price differential if appropriate. | Spot, basis CFR Antwerp |
| Timing | Product to be shipped up to 30 days forward | Delivery 7-45 days forward |
Changes to the FOB Baltic assessments are detailed as follows:
| FOB Baltic | Current specifications | Proposed specifications |
| Assessment name |
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| Platts symbol |
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| Quantity | Minimum size 6,000 mt | 30,000 mt |
| Basis and location | Based on spot sales. Countries covered: Belarus, Russia. Loading ports include Klaipeda (Lithuania), St. Petersburg (Russia), Kaliningrad (Russia), Ust-Luga (Russia). Where no standard grade MOP sales have been confirmed, Platts will use the known granular MOP price and apply the prevailing price differential if appropriate. | Spot, basis FOB St. Petersburg |
| Timing | Product to be shipped up to 30 days forward | Loading 7-30 days forward |
Each assessment is assessed weekly in $/mt with a 1630 UK timestamp. Price assessments are currently published weekly on Platts Connect, S&P Connect and in the Platts price database. They appear fortnightly in the Potash Market Report.
The above decision to change specifications for European potassium chloride assessments follows a proposal published May 12(opens in a new tab).
Please send any feedback, comments or questions to Fertilizer@spglobal.com and PriceGroup@spglobal.com.
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