Egyptian vs Moroccan Phosphate Rock — Grade, Cadmium & Ports (2026)
Egyptian and Moroccan phosphate rock compared: P₂O₅ and BPL grades, cadmium and the EU limit, loading ports, 2025 export data and order terms.
Verdict in sixty seconds
Morocco is the phosphate market: two thirds of the world's reserves, the benchmark grade, and a state producer that converts most of its rock into acid and fertiliser. Egypt is the second sedimentary origin on the same sea, selling more of its rock as rock, at lower headline grade, from ports on both sides of the Suez Canal. The choice is about what an acid plant or blender needs per unit of P₂O₅ delivered, not about which country is bigger.
| Buy Egyptian rock when | Buy Moroccan rock when |
|---|---|
| The plant is in India, the Gulf, East Africa or South-East Asia: Ain Sokhna and Adabiya load on the Red Sea with no canal transit | The plant is in Europe, the Americas or West Africa, within reach of Casablanca, Safi, Jorf Lasfar or Laayoune |
| The acid or SSP process is designed for 28–30 % P₂O₅ feed and pays for P₂O₅ units, not for the 70–72 % BPL premium | The process is tuned to 32–33 % P₂O₅ benchmark rock and the premium is already in the model |
| Cadmium matters: the lot CoA declares ≤ 20 mg/kg, measured by ICP-MS at the loading port before the Bill of Lading | Volume certainty at scale matters more than origin flexibility: one supplier, four ports, 6.8 million tonnes of rock exported in 2025 |
| The buyer also wants granular SSP or TSP from the same desk, or wants rock and superphosphate on one vessel | The buyer wants rock, phosphoric acid and DAP from one integrated producer |
Egypt Globe Group sells Egyptian rock and superphosphate; it does not sell Moroccan rock. The Moroccan figures below come from the sources listed at the end, not from a competitor's price list.
Grade: BPL and P₂O₅ side by side
Phosphate rock is priced on bone phosphate of lime, and BPL is P₂O₅ multiplied by 2.185. Khouribga sets the benchmark.
| Grade | P₂O₅ | BPL | Typical origin | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark | 32–33 % | 70–72 % | Morocco, Khouribga | Global reference grade; 8–12 % premium over 68 % BPL |
| Second tier | 31–32 % | 68–70 % | Morocco and other MENA producers | Common acid-plant feed |
| Egyptian high grade | about 31 % | 68 % | Egypt, Safaga | Egypt Globe Group, 1,000 MT minimum |
| Third tier | 30–31 % | 66–68 % | Morocco and others | Blenders and lower-grade acid feed |
| Egyptian Red Sea | 30 % | about 66 % | Egypt, Red Sea belt | Egypt Globe Group, 1,000 MT minimum |
| Egyptian standard | 28 % | about 61 % | Egypt, Abu Tartur | Egypt Globe Group, standard grade from 5,000 MT |
Moroccan ore averages about 33 % P₂O₅ in the ground, which is why its commercial grades sit at the top of the table. Egyptian rock is lower, and two facts follow. First, an Egyptian cargo carries fewer P₂O₅ units per tonne of freight, so the comparison must be made on delivered cost per unit of P₂O₅, where the shorter Red Sea voyage to Asia offsets part of the grade gap. Second, Egyptian producers are closing the gap at the margin: Misr Phosphate's de-dusting unit at Abu Tartur removes fines and lifts the grade by about 1.0–1.5 % P₂O₅, and its low-dust rock at 26–29 % P₂O₅ shipped from Damietta to southern Europe and Brazil in 2025.
For Egyptian rock the port laboratory measures P₂O₅ by EN 15956 or gravimetric analysis, CaO at 46–50 % by XRF, moisture at or below 3 % by EN 12049 and, for ground concentrate, 90 % passing 150 µm, on every lot.
Cadmium: the number the EU buyer needs on the CoA
Both origins are sedimentary, and sedimentary phosphate carries more cadmium than igneous rock. Since 16 July 2022 the EU Fertilising Products Regulation 2019/1009 has capped cadmium in phosphate fertilisers at 60 mg/kg P₂O₅, and the Commission's review of that limit was due by 16 July 2026, so a tighter EU-wide ceiling is possible. Several member states already apply national limits.
| Egyptian rock (Egypt Globe Group) | Moroccan rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Cadmium declared | ≤ 20 mg/kg, ICP-MS, per lot | Varies by deposit and layer; published studies span a wide range for North African sedimentary rock |
| Where it is measured | Loading-port laboratory, before the Bill of Lading | Producer certificate |
| What to ask for | The figure on this lot's CoA | The figure on this lot's certificate, not the deposit's typical value |
The honest position is that cadmium is a lot property, not a country property. Egypt Globe Group's advantage is procedural: the value is measured on the cargo that ships and written on the Certificate of Analysis before the vessel sails.
Export scale, buyers and where the rock goes
| Indicator | Morocco | Egypt | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reserves | About 50 billion tonnes, 68 % of the world total | 2.8 billion tonnes | SMM, 2026; Al Majalla, March 2025 |
| Raw rock exports | 6.8 million tonnes in 2025, up 4 % | 5.2 million tonnes in 2024; 6 million tonne target for 2025 | SMM, 2026; Al Majalla, March 2025 |
| Largest buyer | India | India, with Japan a large customer | SMM, 2026; Al Majalla, March 2025 |
| Producer structure | OCP operates every mine, with 16 million tonnes a year of fertiliser capacity, targeting 20 million by 2027 | Misr Phosphate about 5 million tonnes a year at Abu Tartur, plus Red Sea and Nile Valley producers | SMM, 2026; BC Insight, March 2025 |
| Direction of travel | Ever more rock converted to acid and DAP at home | Rock still exported at scale; a $1 billion fertiliser complex fast-tracked in 2026 to convert more domestically | SMM, 2026; The Voice of Africa, August 2026 |
The reading for a buyer: Morocco's raw-rock export volume is a residual of what OCP does not process itself, and it shrinks as capacity grows. Egypt exports a larger share of what it mines, which makes it the more elastic rock supplier, though Egypt is now on the same conversion path.
Loading ports and the Suez question
| Morocco | Egypt | |
|---|---|---|
| Atlantic | Casablanca, Safi, Jorf Lasfar, Laayoune; Safi is the strategic hub | None |
| Mediterranean | None | Damietta, Alexandria, El Dekheila |
| Red Sea | None | Ain Sokhna and Adabiya, no canal transit to India, the Gulf or East Africa |
| Note | Laayoune ships Bou Craa rock from Western Sahara, which some buyers' sourcing policies exclude | Red Sea belt rock from Safaga loads on the same coast it is mined |
For Paradeep, Kandla or Mombasa the Egyptian cargo loads on the right side of the canal and the Moroccan cargo does not. For Rotterdam, Antwerp or Santos the Moroccan voyage is shorter. For Turkish, Greek or Italian acid plants the two origins are a few days apart and the decision returns to grade and cadmium.
Order terms with Egypt Globe Group
| Product | Grade | Minimum order | Lead time | Loading ports |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phosphate rock BPL 68 % | 68 % BPL, Safaga | 1,000 MT | 2–4 weeks | Damietta, Alexandria, El Dekheila, Ain Sokhna |
| Rock phosphate 30 % P₂O₅ | 30 % P₂O₅, Red Sea | 1,000 MT | 2–4 weeks | Damietta, Alexandria, El Dekheila, Ain Sokhna |
| Rock phosphate 28 % P₂O₅ | 28 % P₂O₅, Abu Tartur | 5,000 MT; programmes to 100,000–200,000 MT | 2–4 weeks | Damietta, Alexandria, El Dekheila, Ain Sokhna |
| SSP 18 % P₂O₅ | Granular, 1–4 mm, S 12 %, Ca 19 % | 500 MT | 3–5 weeks | Damietta, Adabiya |
| TSP 46 % P₂O₅ | Granular, 2–4 mm, water-soluble P₂O₅ | 500 MT | 3–5 weeks | Damietta, Adabiya |
Packing is bulk vessel, 1 or 1.25 MT FIBC, or 50 kg PP woven bags for SSP and TSP. Every lot is sampled per ISO 8633 at the loading port and released on a Certificate of Analysis for P₂O₅, moisture and sieve analysis before the Bill of Lading; a lot outside specification is rejected at the port, never re-graded or renegotiated. SGS, with Intertek or TÜV Austria on request, provides draft survey, witness P₂O₅ and moisture analysis, hold inspection and sealed samples. HS codes are 2510.10 for rock and 3103.10 for SSP and TSP; the phosphate catalogue, the HS 3105 fertilizer reference and the India import guide cover the rest of the paperwork.
Sources
- Analysis of Morocco's phosphate chemical industry, Shanghai Metals Market, 2026
- Egypt's phosphates: a strategic resource being given a boost, Al Majalla, 27 March 2025
- Misr Phosphate starts low-dust rock exports, BC Insight / CRU, 18 March 2025
- Morocco: a market mover in phosphates, CRU Group, 2023
- Egypt fast-tracks $1 billion phosphate fertiliser complex, The Voice of Africa, 17 August 2026
- Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 and the cadmium limit, Official Journal of the European Union
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Frequently asked questions
Is Moroccan phosphate rock higher grade than Egyptian rock?
Which origin has lower cadmium?
Where does each origin load, and which is closer to India?
How much phosphate rock does each country export?
What are the order terms for Egyptian phosphate rock from Egypt Globe Group?
Other questions? Email our export desk — we respond within 24 hours.