CF Industries Ammonia: North America’s Largest Producer
CF Industries is the largest ammonia producer in North America, operating seven manufacturing complexes across the United States and Canada with combined production capacity exceeding 10 million product tons per year. The company’s vertically integrated model — covering nitrogen fertiliser production, ammonia logistics, and an owned terminal and distribution network — gives it a structural position in any conversation about ammonia storage and bulk liquid infrastructure on the continent.
Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, CF Industries trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CF) and reported net earnings of $1.07 billion on revenues of $4.33 billion in full-year 2024. The company employs approximately 3,000 people across its manufacturing, logistics, and commercial operations.
CF Industries Ammonia Manufacturing Network
CF Industries operates six ammonia production facilities in the US — at Donaldsonville (Louisiana), Verdigris (Oklahoma), Woodward (Oklahoma), Port Neal (Iowa), Yazoo City (Mississippi), and Bartow (Florida) — plus the Medicine Hat complex in Alberta, Canada. Donaldsonville is the largest nitrogen fertiliser complex in the world, producing ammonia, urea, UAN solution, and diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) from a single site on the Mississippi River.
The Donaldsonville complex is also the anchor of CF Industries’ export infrastructure. A dedicated ammonia terminal on the Mississippi River at Donaldsonville allows product to move to domestic distribution points and international buyers via barge, with direct connectivity to the US Gulf Coast export corridor.
| Facility | Location | Key Products | Key Infrastructure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donaldsonville | Louisiana, USA | Ammonia, Urea, UAN, DEF | Mississippi River terminal, barge loading |
| Verdigris | Oklahoma, USA | Ammonia, UAN | Pipeline interconnect, truck loading |
| Woodward | Oklahoma, USA | Ammonia, UAN | Truck and rail distribution |
| Port Neal | Iowa, USA | Ammonia, Urea, UAN | Missouri River barge access |
| Yazoo City | Mississippi, USA | Ammonia, UAN, DEF | Truck and rail |
| Bartow | Florida, USA | Ammonia | Truck loading, Florida distribution |
| Medicine Hat | Alberta, Canada | Ammonia, Urea, UAN | Canadian Prairies distribution |
CF Industries Ammonia Terminal and Distribution Infrastructure
CF Industries operates its own terminal assets as part of a distribution model designed to move ammonia to agricultural markets across the US Midwest and Gulf Coast. The company’s Verdigris complex in Oklahoma has historically been one of the most significant ammonia distribution hubs in the inland US, with pipeline connectivity into the Kaneb/NuStar ammonia pipeline system — a 2,000-mile network running from Louisiana to Minnesota.
The company also owns and operates terminal infrastructure at its Woodward and Port Neal locations, using a combination of rail, truck, and barge to reach end markets. Ammonia storage at these sites typically consists of refrigerated atmospheric tanks operating at approximately -33°C, consistent with industry standard design for anhydrous ammonia.
The Donaldsonville terminal remains the most strategically significant node. Its Mississippi River access allows CF Industries to move ammonia both upstream into Midwest markets and downstream to Gulf export points — a flexibility that positions it differently from inland-only producers. The terminal’s infrastructure is also relevant to the growing interest in low-carbon ammonia exports, where waterfront access and scale are prerequisite for any credible export play.
CF Industries Ammonia and the Clean Energy Transition
CF Industries has positioned itself as a front-runner in the low-carbon ammonia market. The company completed a carbon dioxide dehydration and compression unit at Donaldsonville in 2023, enabling capture of CO₂ from the ammonia synthesis process for sequestration. CF Industries is targeting production of up to 3 million tons of low-carbon ammonia annually as the carbon capture and storage infrastructure around its Gulf Coast sites develops.
The company’s Blue Point project — a proposed new low-carbon ammonia facility on the US Gulf Coast — has been under development with capacity in the range of 1.4 million tonnes per year, targeting both agricultural export markets and the emerging ammonia-as-fuel sector for marine and power generation applications. Blue Point would add a dedicated export terminal to CF Industries’ infrastructure portfolio.
This positions CF Industries at the intersection of conventional fertiliser logistics and the emerging ammonia energy cluster forming along the US Gulf Coast — a cluster that includes terminal development projects such as OCI’s Beaumont methanol and ammonia terminal and the broader clean fuels corridor developing around Houston and Beaumont.
CF Industries Ammonia: Company Snapshot
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | CF Industries Holdings, Inc. |
| Headquarters | Deerfield, Illinois, USA |
| NYSE ticker | CF |
| 2024 revenue | $4.33 billion |
| 2024 net earnings | $1.07 billion |
| Production capacity | ~10 million product tons/year |
| Manufacturing complexes | 7 (6 USA, 1 Canada) |
| Employees | ~3,000 |
| Key products | Ammonia, Urea, UAN, DEF |
CF Industries Ammonia Storage Design and Safety Standards
Ammonia storage at CF Industries facilities follows established API and industry standards for anhydrous ammonia — typically refrigerated aboveground storage tanks (ASTs) designed to hold product at atmospheric pressure and approximately -33°C. The company’s larger complexes, including Donaldsonville, hold several hundred thousand tonnes of combined ammonia storage capacity across production and terminal operations.
Process safety management (PSM) requirements under OSHA 1910.119 apply across all CF Industries ammonia facilities given the quantities involved. The company reports regularly on its safety performance as part of its corporate responsibility framework, including process safety incidents, contractor safety metrics, and environmental compliance indicators.
For terminal operators and engineers evaluating ammonia storage infrastructure more broadly, CF Industries’ plant and terminal network provides one of the most comprehensive reference points for large-scale anhydrous ammonia handling in North America. The company’s infrastructure standards, logistics integration, and emerging low-carbon positioning make it a benchmark against which new ammonia terminal projects are increasingly measured.
The European ammonia terminal sector is also developing alongside North American growth, with projects such as the MB Energy ammonia terminal in Hamburg signalling how import infrastructure is scaling to meet anticipated green and low-carbon ammonia supply from new production corridors, including those targeting exports from CF Industries’ Gulf Coast assets.
For a broader view of the global ammonia storage sector and how CF Industries fits within it, see our oil and gas storage terminals guide.
For further information on CF Industries’ operations, production data, and investor reporting, visit the CF Industries corporate website.
What does CF Industries produce?
CF Industries produces ammonia, urea, urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) solution, and diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) across seven manufacturing complexes in the United States and Canada.
Where is CF Industries’ largest ammonia facility?
CF Industries’ largest facility is the Donaldsonville complex in Louisiana — the largest nitrogen fertiliser production site in the world, with Mississippi River terminal access for barge distribution and Gulf Coast export.
Does CF Industries produce low-carbon ammonia?
Yes. CF Industries is actively developing low-carbon ammonia production, including carbon capture infrastructure at Donaldsonville and the Blue Point project — a proposed new low-carbon ammonia export facility on the US Gulf Coast targeting up to 1.4 million tonnes per year.
How does CF Industries distribute ammonia?
CF Industries distributes ammonia via a combination of pipeline (including the Kaneb/NuStar system), barge, rail, and truck. The Donaldsonville terminal provides Mississippi River access for both domestic and international movements.
What is CF Industries’ annual production capacity?
CF Industries’ seven manufacturing complexes have a combined production capacity of approximately 10 million product tons per year, making it the largest nitrogen fertiliser producer in North America.