China's titanium dioxide market slightly increased in October

October 31 News

I. Price Trends

Taking the sulfuric acid process rutile titanium dioxide, which has a large volume of transactions in the Chinese market, as an example, according to data monitoring, the Chinese titanium dioxide market was stable with a slight increase in October. The average price of titanium dioxide on October 1st was 13,820 CNY/ton, and on October 31st, it was 13,860 CNY/ton, with a price increase of 0.29%.

2. Market Analysis

In October, the Chinese titanium dioxide market was stable with a slight increase. Several titanium dioxide companies, including Lomon, Jinhai, Dawn, and Zhonghe, successively issued letters to raise the prices of titanium dioxide. However, the downstream demand was average, and the actual performance was not very optimistic. Additionally, the recent two rounds of price hikes have already overdrawn some of the future demand, leading to a strong wait-and-see sentiment at the end of the month. The market remained in a stalemate, and the actual transaction prices were relatively flexible. As of now, the quotations for sulfate process rutile titanium dioxide in China are mostly between 13,200 and 14,200 CNY per ton; anatase type is around 12,000 to 12,500 CNY per ton, and chloride process is between 13,600 and 16,500 CNY per ton, with actual transaction prices negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

According to customs data, in September 2025, China imported 6,382.35 tons of titanium dioxide, a decrease of 23.20% year-on-year, but an increase of 86.01% compared to the previous month. Among these imports, 2,930.79 tons were produced via the sulfuric acid process, while 3,451.56 tons were from the chloride process.

From January to September, China’s total titanium dioxide imports amounted to 56,900 tons, representing a 20.51% decline compared to the same period last year. Specifically, imports of sulfuric acid-process titanium dioxide fell by 3.12% year-on-year, totaling 22,700 tons, while chloride-process imports dropped significantly by 28.96%, reaching 34,200 tons.

In September 2025, China exported 156,000 tons of titanium dioxide, an increase of 6.52% year-on-year and 12.68% month-on-month. Among these, 128,000 tons were exported using the sulfate process, and 28,800 tons using the chloride process. From January to September 2025, China's cumulative exports of titanium dioxide amounted to approximately 1,346,400 tons, a decrease of 6.5% year-on-year; among these, 1,090,900 tons were exported using the sulfate process, a decrease of 7.4% compared to the previous year, and 255,500 tons using the chloride process, a decrease of 2.5% compared to the previous year.

III. Market Forecast

Titanium dioxide analysts believe: This month, several titanium dioxide companies in China have issued letters to increase titanium dioxide prices. However, market confidence is insufficient, and there is a strong bearish sentiment in the market. Downstream factories are not very active in purchasing, putting pressure on titanium companies. It is expected that in the short term, some prices may have a downward expectation, with actual transaction prices negotiated on a case-by-case basis.