Titanium dioxide market development report

Titanium white's main component is titanium dioxide (TiO2).₂), is a highly stable white inorganic pigment that is non-toxic and offers optimal opacity, whiteness, and brightness. It is considered one of the best-performing white pigments in the world today. Titanium dioxide can be classified by application into pigment-grade and non-pigment-grade types.

China’s titanium dioxide production capacity continued to grow. In 2025, with the commissioning of titanium dioxide projects by Gansu Dongfang and LB Group, China’s titanium dioxide capacity increased by 5.1% year on year. Output in 2025 declined for the first time in recent years, down 2.5% year on year.

In 2025, China had more than 50 major titanium dioxide producers. There were 21 companies with an annual production capacity exceeding 100,000 tons. China’s titanium dioxide industry has long been characterized by the problem of being “small, scattered, and disorderly.” In recent years, as safety and environmental protection policies have tightened, smaller enterprises lacking competitive advantages have gradually exited the market, while leading companies have engaged in mergers and acquisitions, further increasing industry concentration.

Lomon Billions Group is a leading enterprise in China’s titanium dioxide industry. After acquiring Yunnan Xinli Titanium, the company further consolidated and expanded its technological advantages in the chloride process. By region, China’s titanium dioxide production capacity is mainly concentrated in Henan, Gansu, and other areas.

In 2025, China’s apparent consumption of titanium dioxide decreased by 1.8% year on year, while its self-sufficiency rate declined by 1.2 percentage points. As a white pigment with stable performance, titanium dioxide sees relatively stable demand in fields such as coatings, plastics and rubber, and papermaking, and the industry’s prosperity is closely tied to these three sectors. In 2025, coatings remained the largest application area for the titanium dioxide industry, accounting for more than half of total demand at 59%.

China is a net exporter of titanium dioxide. In 2025, titanium dioxide imports were 74,000 tonnes, down 19.5% year on year; exports were 1.817 million tonnes, down 4.5% year on year. Titanium dioxide imports were mainly conducted through general trade; import sources were mainly concentrated in Mexico, which accounted for 34.0% of total imports, followed by Australia and Japan, accounting for 20.3% and 15.1% of total imports, respectively.

The first method of export trade for titanium dioxide in China is general trade, accounting for 93.2% of the total export volume; the second is processing trade, accounting for 6.8% of the total export volume. Titanium dioxide is mainly exported to India, Turkey, and Vietnam, with the total exports to these three countries accounting for 26.5% of China's total titanium dioxide exports.

The titanium dioxide industry in China has formed a capacity pattern characterized by being the largest in the world, with excess total capacity, structural imbalance, rapidly increasing concentration, and accelerated transformation of processes. Most of the new capacity is based on the chloride method, with the CR10 approaching 80%. The "one super and multiple strong" pattern is solidifying, and in the future, small and medium-sized enterprises will accelerate their exit from the market. Based on the planning projects in the past two years, it is expected that China will add 600,000 tons/year of titanium dioxide capacity by 2026-2027.