NUTRIENT TOLERANCES

Nutrient tolerances

Every country has its own fertiliser legislation. In Europe, EU (European Union) has agreed to use same tolerances in all fertilisers which are sold as EU fertiliser.

EU tolerances in fertilisers are as follows:

The nutrient content of the EC fertilisers must comply with the tolerance margins set forth below, in accordance with (EC) regulation No. 2003/2003, Article 13 (Annex II).

The tolerance margins included in this annex are negative values of percentage in mass.
The allowed tolerance margins regarding the declared content in nutrients of the different kinds of EC fertilisers shall be as follows:

1. Inorganic straight primary nutrient fertilizers absolute value in percentage by mass expressed as N, P2O5, K2O, MgO, Cl

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1.1. Nitrogenous fertilisers

Calcium nitrate

0,4

Calcium and magnesium nitrate

0,4

Sodium nitrate

0,4

Chilenitrate

0,4

Calcium cyanamide

1,0

Nitrogenous calcium cyanamide

1,0

Ammonium sulphate

0,3

Ammonium nitrate or calcium ammonium nitrate:

- up to and including 32%

0,8

- more than 32%

0,6

Ammonium sulphate-nitrate

0,8

Magnesium sulphonitrate

0,8

Magnesium ammonium nitrate

0,8

Urea

0,4

Calcium nitrate suspension

0,4

Nitrogen fertiliser solution with urea formaldehyde

0,4

Nitrogen fertiliser suspension with urea formaldehyde

0,4

Urea-ammonium sulphate

0,5

Nitrogen fertiliser solution

0,6

Ammonium nitrate-urea solution

0,6

1.2. Phosphatic fertilisers

Thomas slag:

- declaration expressed as a range of 2% by mass

0,0

- declaration expressed as a single number

1,0

Other phosphatic fertilizers

P2O5 solubility in:

(number of fertilizer in Annex I)

- mineral acid (3, 6, 7)

0,8

- formic acid (7)

0,8

- neutral ammonium citrate (2a, 2b, 2c)

0,8

- alkaline ammonium citrate (4, 5, 6)

0,8

- water (2a, 2b, 3)

0,9

- (2c)

1,3

1.3. Potassic fertilizers

Kainit

1,5

Enriched kainit salt

1,0

Muriate of potash:

- up to and including 55%

1,0

- more than 55%

0,5

Potassium chloride containing magnesium salt

1,5

Sulphate of potash

0,5

Sulphate of potash containing magnesium salt

1,5

1.4. Other components

Chloride

0,2

2. INORGANIC COMPOUND PRIMARY NUTRIENT FERTILIZERS

2.1. Nutrient elements

  • N                    1,1 units
  • P2O5             1,1 units
  • K2O               1,1 units

2.2. Total negative deviations from the declared value

  • Binary fertilizers 1,5 units (NK, NP, PK)
  • Ternary fertilizers 1,9 units (NPK)

3. SECONDARY NUTRIENTS IN FERTILIZERS

  • The tolerances allowed in respect of the declared calcium, magnesium, sodium and sulphur contents shall be a quarter of the declared contents of these nutrients up to a maximum of 0,9% in absolute terms for CaO, MgO, Na2O, and SO3, i.e. 0,64 for Ca, 0,55 for Mg, 0,67 for Na and 0,36 for S.

4. MICRO-NUTRIENTS IN FERTILIZERS

The tolerance allowed in respect of the declared micro-nutrient content shall be:
  • 0,4% in absolute terms for a content of more than 2%,
  • one fifth of the declared value for a content not exceeding 2%.

The tolerance allowed in respect of the declared content for the various forms of nitrogen or the declared solubilities of phosphorus pentoxide is one-tenth of the overall content of the nutrient concerned with a maximum of 2 % by mass, provided that the overall content of that nutrient remains within the limits specified in Annex I and the tolerances specified above.

29.5.2003 EN C 127 E/319 Official Journal of the European Union, Wednesday 10 April 2002