Pursuant to Government Decree No. 785 officially signed by the Russian government on June 25, 2026, the temporary export restriction policy on industrial sulfur, originally set to expire on June 30, 2026, has been extended again, with the validity of this ban updated to December 31, 2026.

This export restriction covers all mainstream industrial sulfur categories, including liquid sulfur, granular sulfur, and lump sulfur, all of which are included within the scope of export control. The Russian side stated that the core purpose of this policy extension is to prioritize guaranteeing a stable supply of raw materials for the domestic fertilizer industry, consolidate the foundation of national food security, and avoid raw material shortages for domestic phosphate fertilizer and compound fertilizer enterprises caused by massive external sales of sulfur, which would affect the guaranteed supply of fertilizers for agricultural spring and autumn plowing.

Regarding exemption rules, this export ban does not apply to sulfur exports destined for member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (such as Belarus, Kazakhstan, etc.), Abkhazia, and South Ossetia; meanwhile, for sulfur used for special purposes such as humanitarian aid and international transit transport, enterprises can apply for specific export licenses from the Russian side.

Looking at the latest industry production data, affected by the superposition of multiple factors including the implementation of the previous export ban, the maintenance of upstream oil and gas supporting facilities, and geopolitical disturbances, the total production of gaseous industrial sulfur in Russia from January to May 2026 was only 1.75 million tons, a year-on-year sharp decline of 19%. Domestic sulfur output is already in a contraction state, and the capacity for external supply has further weakened.

Analyzing from the perspective of the global trade pattern, Russia's annual export volume of industrial sulfur in previous years was stable at 1.2 million to 1.5 million tons, making it a globally important sulfur exporter. The continued supply lock caused by this ban will directly tighten the spot circulation volume of sulfur globally, forming strong support for international and domestic sulfur prices.

China's external dependence on sulfur is close to 50%, and previously Russian sources accounted for 10% to 14% of the total domestic sulfur imports. Relying on maritime shipping via Far Eastern ports and cross-border railway transport, it was an important land-based supplementary import channel for China. Currently, the continued supply cut-off of Russian sources, combined with the resonance of two negative factors—shipping blockage in the Strait of Hormuz caused by geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East and the contraction of export shipping capacity by mainstream sulfur exporters in the Middle East—the global sulfur supply gap is further amplified, highlighting the upward pressure on raw material costs for industrial chains such as phosphate fertilizers, sulfuric acid, fine chemicals, and lithium iron phosphate for lithium batteries.