Answer

MAP, DAP or MKP: which phosphate source?

Three phosphate salts that a blender chooses between constantly. They differ in what comes attached to the phosphate, and that is usually what decides it.

The short answer. On our published grades: MAP is 12% N, 61% P2O5, DAP is 18% N, 46% P2O5, and MKP is 52% P2O5, 34% K2O. MAP carries the most phosphate, DAP the most nitrogen of the two ammonium salts, and MKP brings potassium instead of nitrogen. Urea phosphate, at 17% N, 44% P2O5, is a fourth option we also manufacture.

The phosphate is not what separates them

All four deliver phosphate. What differs is the second nutrient riding along with it. MAP and DAP bring nitrogen in ammonium form and differ in how much of each: MAP is the higher-phosphate, lower-nitrogen option, DAP the reverse. MKP brings no nitrogen at all and instead supplies potassium.

That is why the choice is usually made by what the finished blend has to analyse at, not by the phosphate figure alone. If your target ratio already has its nitrogen covered from elsewhere, MKP lets you add phosphate without adding more. If it does not, MAP or DAP does two jobs in one raw material.

What each product publishes

ProductFormulaGrade publishedStandard packing
Mono Ammonium PhosphateNH₄H₂PO₄12% N, 61% P2O550 kg net, HDPE bag
Di Ammonium Phosphate(NH₄)₂HPO₄18% N, 46% P2O550 kg net, HDPE bag
Mono Potassium PhosphateKH₂PO₄52% P2O5, 34% K2O50 kg net, HDPE bag
Urea PhosphateCH₇N₂O₅P17% N, 44% P2O550 kg net, HDPE bag

Every grade in this table is the figure published on that product’s own page on this site. Nothing is estimated. The guaranteed analysis on the product page and the batch certificate of analysis govern any supply.

Reading a two-figure grade

A grade written as ‘18% N, 46% P2O5’ is two guarantees in one line, and both matter when you cost the material. A raw material carrying two nutrients cannot be costed against a single-nutrient salt on one of its figures alone; you have to value what the second nutrient saves you buying separately. That is a blending calculation specific to your formulation, and we would rather do it with you against your actual target ratio than publish a general rule that will not hold.

Taskon Industries also manufactures water-soluble NPK in various ratios and NPK mix fertilizer in multiple balanced formulations, if the finished blend is what you actually want to buy.

How to compare two quotes honestly

Where two products carry the same element at different strengths, the price per kilogram of bag is not a comparison. Divide the delivered price per kilogram by the element fraction and you get the cost per kilogram of the thing you are actually buying. That is the only basis on which grades of different strength can be set against each other.

Our nutrient cost comparison calculator does that arithmetic on any two products in our range and prints its working, and the element content calculator converts between kilograms of product and kilograms of the element. Freight follows the same logic: moving a weaker grade means paying to move more material that is not the element.

Which one should you buy?

That is decided by your process, and by things we cannot see from here: how the product is applied, what it is blended with, what has to dissolve and how fast, the specification you or your customer must meet, and how far the material travels. Any supplier who answers that question without asking about your process is guessing.

We manufacture the alternatives set out above, so we have no reason to steer you toward the dearer one. Describe the application and we will tell you what we would send and why, including when the cheaper grade is the right answer.

What to send us for a quote

Four things let us price these products without a round of questions: the grade, the quantity, the delivery location, and any specification you have to meet. Send those and we come back with a price, the packing, and the documents that travel with the consignment. There is more detail on what to send us for a quote.

Not sure which grade suits your process? Describe the application and we will tell you what we would supply, and why.

Questions buyers ask

MAP, DAP or MKP: which phosphate source?: frequently asked questions

What is the difference between MAP and DAP?
Both are ammonium phosphates. On our published grades MAP is 12% N and 61% P2O5, while DAP is 18% N and 46% P2O5. MAP carries more phosphate and less nitrogen; DAP the reverse.
When would I use MKP instead?
MKP carries no nitrogen. On our page it is published at 52% P2O5 and 34% K2O, so it supplies phosphate and potassium together. It is the usual choice where the nitrogen in the blend is already accounted for.
Does Taskon manufacture finished NPK blends?
Yes. We manufacture water-soluble NPK in various ratios and NPK mix fertilizer in multiple balanced formulations, alongside the individual salts.
What packing are these supplied in?
50 kg net in HDPE bags as standard.

Need a price?

Send the grade, the quantity and the delivery location and we will quote against them.