Background and Aims <p>Although fertilization optimization is vital for enhancing crop yield and agricultural sustainability, the influence of compound fertilizer granulation processes on productivity and environmental outcomes is often disregarded. This study aimed to investigate the impact of compound fertilizers produced via four distinct granulation processes—spray granulation (SG), novel needle granulation (NNG), high-tower granulation (HTG), and drum granulation (DG)—with identical nutrient levels on maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.) productivity, soil nutrient distribution, and leaching risks.</p> Methods <p>A field experiment was conducted on a red soil (Ferralsol) in Southwest China. We compared the effects of the four compound fertilizers and a no-fertilizer control on maize growth, yield, nutrient uptake, fertilizer N-, P-, and K-use efficiencies, soil profile nutrient distribution, and N and P leaching risks.</p> Results <p>Granulation processes significantly altered the physicochemical properties of fertilizers, affecting maize yield and nutrient-use efficiency. The NNG fertilizer, with the fastest dissolution and lowest compressive strength, increased maize yield by 44% over the no-fertilizer control (to 12.2 t ha⁻¹) and improved N-, P-, and K-use efficiencies by 41%, 23%, and 18%, respectively. Consequently, it outperformed other fertilizers in both yield and nutrient-use efficiency and exhibited the lowest N leaching risk. Conversely, the DG fertilizer, with the slowest dissolution rate, showed the poorest agronomic performance.</p> Conclusion <p>The granulation process critically regulates crop yield and nutrient efficiency for compound fertilizers. The NNG process offers a novel pathway for producing high-yield, high-efficiency, and environmentally friendly compound fertilizers, important for optimizing nutrient management and advancing sustainable agricultural development.</p>