Urea is the most widely used nitrogen fertilizer in maize. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the agronomic performance of maize under different rates and forms of N application and to identify the economic efficiency provided by this crop in relation to this type of fertilizer. To this end, we conducted a field experiment in a Eutroferric Dark Red Latosol (Oxisol) using the maize cultivar AG 8021. Nine treatments were tested comprising the application of 40, 80, 120, 160, 200, and 240 kg ha -¹ of N (urea) as topdressing; 80 and 120 kg ha -