Background and Basis of Presentation

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

We are a leading global fertilizer and chemical company. Our 3,000 employees operate world-class manufacturing complexes in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. Our principal customers are cooperatives, independent fertilizer distributors, traders, wholesalers, farmers and industrial users. Our principal nitrogen fertilizer products are anhydrous ammonia (ammonia), granular urea, urea ammonium nitrate solution (UAN) and ammonium nitrate (AN). Our other nitrogen products include diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), urea liquor, nitric acid and aqua ammonia, which are sold primarily to our industrial customers, and compound fertilizer products (NPKs), which are solid granular fertilizer products for which the nutrient content is a combination of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. We serve our customers in North America through our production, storage, transportation and distribution network. We also reach a global customer base with exports from our Donaldsonville, Louisiana, facility, the world’s largest and most flexible nitrogen complex. Additionally, we move product to international destinations from our Verdigris, Oklahoma, facility, our Yazoo City, Mississippi, facility and our Billingham and Ince facilities in the United Kingdom, and from a joint venture ammonia facility in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in which we own a 50 percent interest.

All references to “CF Holdings,” “the Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to CF Industries Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries, except where the context makes clear that the reference is only to CF Industries Holdings, Inc. itself and not its subsidiaries. All references to “CF Industries” refer to CF Industries, Inc., a 100% owned subsidiary of CF Industries Holdings, Inc.

Our principal assets as of December 31, 2019 include:

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five U.S. nitrogen manufacturing facilities located in Donaldsonville, Louisiana; Port Neal, Iowa; Yazoo City, Mississippi; Verdigris, Oklahoma; and Woodward, Oklahoma. These facilities are wholly owned directly or indirectly by CF Industries Nitrogen, LLC (CFN), of which we own approximately 89% and CHS Inc. (CHS) owns the remainder. See Note 17—Noncontrolling Interests for additional information on our strategic venture with CHS;


•	two Canadian nitrogen manufacturing facilities, located in Medicine Hat, Alberta and Courtright, Ontario;


•	two United Kingdom nitrogen manufacturing facilities, located in Billingham and Ince;


•	an extensive system of terminals and associated transportation equipment located primarily in the Midwestern United States; and

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a 50% interest in Point Lisas Nitrogen Limited (PLNL), an ammonia production joint venture located in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago that we account for under the equity method.