Sulphur production in Kazakhstan
An Important Global Supply Source
Kazakhstan has become one of the world’s significant producers and exporters of elemental sulphur, largely as a result of its major oil and gas developments in the Caspian region. Also, due to geopolitical circumstances of known nature that we won’t go into, Kazakhstan also became a re-exporter of sulphur (or sulfur) at the time of peaking international demand.
Countries with natural deposits
Unlike countries where sulphur is extracted from natural sulphur deposits, among them are the United States, Poland, Indonesia and the Russian Federation that has several important natural deposits, similarly to sources in the Gulf nations Kazakhstan’s sulphur is produced mainly as a by-product of oil and natural-gas processing. Sulphur compounds present in sour hydrocarbons are industrially removed during processing and converted into elemental sulphur.
Major sources
The country’s two most important sources are Tengiz and Kashagan, however there is a number of minor producers, and again, due to geopolitical twists, Kazakhstan has become a re-exporter of this crucial commodity.
Tengiz is one of the largest oil fields in Eurasia, is operated by Tengizchevroil (TCO). Its processing facilities recover sulphur from the hydrogen sulphide contained in the field’s sour gas. TCO produces and markets sulphur as a by product. In the first half of 2026, TCO reported shipments of approximately 1.16 million tonnes of sulphur.
The second major source of industrial sulphur or sulfur is Kashagan,. It is a giant offshore oil and gas field in Kazakhstan’s North Caspian region. Kashagan’s hydrocarbon production is also associated with significant sulphur recovery and processing. Kashagain is a source of granulated sulphur and crushed sulfur.
According to industry estimates, Kazakhstan produced approximately 4.0 million tonnes of sulphur in 2023, with production estimated at around 4.3 million tonnes in 2024. The production has been continually rising due to high international demans.
Kazakhstan particularly is important to the international sulphur market. Domestic demand is substantially smaller than production, and that created a significant exportable surplus. Sulphur is an essential raw material for sulphuric acid, phosphate fertilizers, mineral processing, uranium extraction, chemicals and numerous other industrial applications.
For international commodity traders and industrial consumers, Kazakhstan therefore represents an important source of granulated and other forms of industrial sulphur.
Kazakhstan’s sulphur industry in perspective
Major source: Oil and gas processing
Principal producing region: Western Kazakhstan / Caspian region
Major source fields: Tengiz and Kashagan
Main product: Elemental sulphur
Important forms: Granulated and crushed sulphur
Major domestic uses: Fertilizers, sulphuric acid, uranium and mineral processing
International importance: Significant export-oriented sulphur supply
