If your fleet runs on SCR diesel engines, AdBlue® is as essential as diesel. When the tank runs dry, the engine reduces power and may not restart until it is refilled. The late-2021 shortage showed how quickly supply can tighten. You cannot control global urea markets, but you can set up your operation so a disruption is an inconvenience rather than a crisis.
Start with your real consumption
Every other decision depends on knowing how much you use. Consumption is typically 3–6% of diesel use by volume, so a fleet using 20,000 L of diesel a month will usually need somewhere between 600 and 1,200 L of AdBlue. Actual figures depend on vehicles, load, terrain and idling.
The most reliable number is your own purchase or dispensing history over the last six to twelve months. If you don't have that, the AdBlue usage calculator gives a sound starting estimate. Work out an average weekly figure and a busy-week figure, since peak periods are when running short hurts most.
Set a safety stock level
Safety stock is the buffer you hold on top of normal working stock. A simple approach:
- Decide how many days of disruption you want to cover. Many operators aim for two to four weeks.
- Multiply your average daily use by that number of days.
- Set a reorder point: the level at which you order, allowing for normal delivery lead time plus the safety buffer.
For example, a depot using 60 L a day that wants three weeks of cover needs about 1,260 L of safety stock. If normal delivery takes a week, reorder when stock falls to about 1,680 L.
The action you can take today: write your reorder point on the tank or storage area and make sure whoever checks stock knows what it means. A number everyone can see works better than one in a spreadsheet.
Balance the buffer against shelf life. AdBlue kept at or below 25°C lasts about 18 months; at up to 30°C about 12; at up to 35°C only about 6. Holding far more than you can use in that time just converts a supply risk into a quality risk.
Choose storage that holds a buffer properly
How you store your safety stock matters as much as how much you hold.
- IBCs suit buffers of one to a few thousand litres. Keep them out of direct sun, on level ground, ideally under an insulated cover, and rotate them first in, first out.
- On-site bulk tanks suit larger fleets. A 5,000 L or 10,000 L tank lets you hold weeks of stock and take full tanker loads. Single-skin and bunded options are available; check with your state EPA and site requirements on bunding.
- Tank-level monitoring lets you and your supplier see stock remotely, so reorders happen before anyone has to notice a low gauge.
Whatever you use, keep it dedicated to AdBlue and use compatible materials: stainless steel, HDPE or polypropylene, with EPDM or fluoroelastomer seals. Never reuse a container that held diesel, oil or coolant. More options are on our bulk and on-site page.
Put supply on a firmer footing
Stock on hand protects you for weeks. Your supply arrangement protects you for longer.
- Have a supply agreement or scheduled refills. Regular customers are usually the first looked after when product is allocated.
- Ask how your supplier sources urea. A supplier that holds its own stock and has more than one urea source is less exposed to a single disruption.
- Know where the stock is. A supplier with warehouses in several states can often move product between them.
- Keep a backup plan. For remote vehicles, a few sealed 10 L or 20 L drums on board or at a satellite depot cover the gap if a delivery is late.
Don't let a shortage compromise quality
The biggest mistake during a shortage is buying unknown product to keep going. Off-spec or contaminated AdBlue can block injectors and filters and damage the SCR catalyst. Stick to VDA-licensed product with a Certificate of Analysis, even if it costs a little more at the time.
How Liquidia can help. Liquidia manufactures AdBlue in Australia and supplies it from Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth, and offers tanks, tank lease, remote monitoring and scheduled refills. Talk to us about a supply arrangement through the bulk and on-site page or open a trade account.