Two suppliers quote the same analysis and the numbers come back hundreds of dollars a tonne apart. Usually they are not quoting the same thing. Here is what actually sits inside a fertiliser price, so you can tell a genuinely cheaper offer from one that has simply left something out.
Why we do not publish a price list
Worth saying plainly, because you will notice there is no price anywhere on this site. Fertiliser is a globally traded commodity. The landed cost moves with world benchmarks, the Australian dollar and shipping rates, and a printed figure would be wrong within weeks.
It also would not be one number. Ten tonnes to a farm two hours from a port and two hundred tonnes to a depot are genuinely different costs to serve, and a published price forces both to the same figure — which means one of you is overpaying. Our terms and FAQ say the same thing, and neither Agfert nor Fertpro publish prices either. It is how the industry works, not evasion.
The five things inside the number
1. The nutrient itself
Most of the cost is the nutrient, and nutrient cost tracks world markets. Urea, phosphate and potash each have their own benchmarks and they do not move together — a quiet quarter for potash can sit alongside a sharp move in urea.
2. Freight to your gate
Fertiliser is dense and heavy, so freight is a real share of the delivered cost, and it is charged on weight rather than space. Distance from the nearest port or depot matters more than distance from us. Two farms the same distance apart can carry very different freight if one is on a B-double route and the other is not.
3. Tonnage
A full load costs less per tonne than a part load, because the truck costs what it costs whether it is full or not. Our packing guide sets out the container and vehicle quantities that avoid paying to move air.
4. Packing
Bulk is cheapest per tonne, bulka bags sit in the middle, small bags cost most per tonne to fill and handle. Palletising costs about five tonnes of payload per container, which you pay for whether or not you needed the pallets.
5. Timing
Demand concentrates around seeding and top-dressing. Quoting early, before everyone is ringing at once, generally lands better than quoting in the week you need it — and it gives you the option of buying ahead, which is where packing choice starts to matter for storage.
Comparing two quotes properly
Price per tonne is the wrong comparison. Two things fix that.
| Check | Why it changes the answer |
|---|---|
| Cost per unit of nutrient | Divide the delivered price by the nutrient in a tonne. Urea carries 460 kg of N; ammonium sulphate carries 210 kg. The cheaper tonne is often the dearer nitrogen — see the comparison. |
| Delivered or ex-works? | The single most common reason a quote looks cheap. Ask for it delivered to your address, in writing. |
| Same analysis? | A grade one or two units lower is a different product. Compare the declared analysis, not the trade name. |
| Packing included? | Bags, liners and pallets are sometimes quoted separately. |
| How long is it held? | On a moving market a quote has a life. Ask what it is. |
Our catalogue lists total nutrient units (N + P2O5 + K2O) for all 130 analyses precisely so you can do that first comparison before anyone quotes you anything.
Getting an accurate quote first time
Four things, and the quote comes back right rather than approximate:
- Analysis or soil test — the grade, or the report and we will match it
- Tonnage — and whether it is one delivery or several
- Delivery address — or the destination port for export
- Packing and unloading — what you can unload with on the day
Send the analysis or your soil test, the tonnage and the delivery address. You get a written quote, delivered, with nothing left out of the number.