2025 Titanium Dioxide Market Review and 2026 Outlook

December 31st News

Price Trend

According to the commodity data monitoring, the titanium dioxide market in 2025 showed a trend of first rising and then falling, with the year-end price significantly lower than the beginning of the year. At the beginning of the year, the average price of titanium dioxide in China was 14,900 CNY/ton, and by the end of the year, it had decreased to an average of 13,740 CNY/ton, with a price drop of 7.79% within the year.

Titanium Dioxide Market Review in China

Product Market Trends

The market trend for titanium dioxide in 2025 showed a pattern of first rising and then falling. In the first quarter, with low inventory levels among manufacturers and rising prices of upstream titanium concentrate and sulfuric acid, prices increased. In the second quarter, the foreign trade market cooled down, leading to an increase in inventory, and the market gradually weakened. In the third quarter, India's decision to cancel the anti-dumping duties on titanium dioxide imported from China was beneficial to the recent titanium dioxide market, resulting in stable prices with a slight increase. In the fourth quarter, new order transactions were not satisfactory, and the titanium dioxide market remained sluggish.

In the first half of the year, the titanium dioxide market showed a trend of first rising then falling, with an overall price decrease. The cumulative price decrease from January to June was 5.23%. By the end of June, the prices for sulfuric acid method rutile titanium dioxide in China were mostly quoted between 13,300 and 14,200 CNY per ton; while anatase type was around 11,700 to 12,300 CNY per ton.

In the second half of the year, both supply and demand in the titanium dioxide market remained in a stalemate, with little price fluctuation. Overall, prices saw a slight increase. From July to December, the cumulative price increase was 0.15%. As of the end of December, the quoted prices for sulfate-process rutile-type titanium dioxide in China ranged from 13,300 to 14,300 CNY per ton, while anatase-type titanium dioxide was quoted at around 12,000 to 12,500 CNY per ton.

2025 Titanium Dioxide Status and 2026 Expectations in China

Import and Export Aspects

According to customs data, from January to November 2025, the total import volume of titanium dioxide in China was only 67,800 tons, a significant decrease of 19.88% year-on-year. Among them, chlorination products remained the main import, with a cumulative import of 40,800 tons from January to November, a decline of 27.49% year-on-year, accounting for 60.2% of the total import volume. The import volume of sulfate products was smaller, with a cumulative import of 27,000 tons from January to November, a slight decrease of 4.77% year-on-year.

The significant decline in the import volume of chlorination methods indicates that the deployment of chlorination capacity and technological advancements in China are effectively filling the market gap in high-end product areas that previously relied on imports.

According to customs data, from January to November 2025, China's cumulative titanium dioxide export volume was approximately 1,645,100 tons, a decrease of 5.63% compared to the same period last year, reducing by about 98,200 tons. Among them, the performance of chlorination process titanium dioxide was better, with a cumulative export of 322,300 tons from January to November, an increase of 1.29% year-on-year. Sulfate process titanium dioxide still accounted for the majority but performed weaker, with a cumulative export of 1,322,800 tons from January to November, a decrease of 7.18% year-on-year, accounting for 80.4% of the total export volume, and it remains the absolute main force.

This "decrease in total volume, optimization in structure" export pattern clearly indicates that China's titanium dioxide industry is at a critical stage of transformation from "victory through quantity" to "breakthrough through quality."

In terms of production capacity and output

According to public data, in 2025, the titanium dioxide industry is undergoing a deep adjustment, with continuous expansion of production capacity. In 2025, China's titanium dioxide production capacity is 6,217,000 tons, representing a year-on-year growth rate of 3.62% compared to 2024. The regions with increased capacity are mainly Inner Mongolia and Anhui. In 2025, the top three regions in China by production capacity are Sichuan, accounting for 19%, Shandong, accounting for 13%, and Henan, accounting for 10%.

According to public data, in November 2025, China's titanium dioxide production was 400,040 tons, a year-on-year increase of 0.36%. From January to November 2025, the cumulative production of titanium dioxide was 4,350,400 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 0.72%, with a reduction of about 31,500 tons.

An international giant has halted production and filed for bankruptcy. Germany’s Venator applied for bankruptcy in September 2025. Its 50,000-ton-per-year chlorination capacity located in Germany, along with its previously shut-down 80,000-ton-per-year production capacity in Italy, have led to a contraction in global supply, causing international orders to shift toward China.

Downstream real estate end-users

In the first 11 months of 2025, China's real estate development investment reached 7,859.1 billion yuan, a decrease of 15.9% year-on-year; among which, residential investment was 6,043.2 billion yuan, a decrease of 15.0%.

From January to November, the construction area of housing projects undertaken by real estate developers reached 656.066 million square meters, a year-on-year decrease of 9.6%. Among this, the construction area for residential buildings was 457.551 million square meters, down 10.0%. The area of newly started housing projects totaled 53.457 million square meters, a decrease of 20.5%. Of this, the area of newly started residential projects was 39.189 million square meters, down 19.9%. The area of completed housing projects amounted to 39.454 million square meters, a decline of 18.0%. Among these, the area of completed residential projects was 28.105 million square meters, down 20.1%.

Summary and Prediction

For China’s titanium dioxide industry in 2025, the sector faces challenges such as overcapacity, international trade tensions, fluctuations in raw material prices, and increasing environmental pressures. This year also marks a critical turning point as the titanium dioxide industry shifts from scale expansion to high-quality development. Driven by a triple force—policy, market, and technology—the titanium dioxide industry is undergoing profound adjustments and upgrades.

Looking ahead to 2026, the titanium dioxide industry in China will enter a new cycle driven by policy, technology, and market forces. The market size will shift from "quantity growth" to "quality improvement," with the supply and demand landscape expected to improve. The transition towards high-end, green, and intelligent production will accelerate.

I. Policy-Driven: Green Transformation and Capacity Optimization

Environmental protection policies will continue to intensify, driving the industry towards lower carbon and circular transformation. For example, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China requires that new projects must adopt chlor-alkali processes or sulfuric acid processes with a complete circular economy system. It is also stipulated that by 2025, the capacity of the industry meeting the energy efficiency benchmark should reach 30%, and by 2030, all should meet the energy efficiency baseline.

II. Technology-Driven: Chlorination Process and Breakthroughs in High-End Products

As environmental protection policies become increasingly stringent, the chloride process is likely to become the dominant production trend in the future. As of 2025, the proportion of titanium dioxide production capacity using the chloride process in China has already exceeded 35%, and it is projected to reach 60% by 2030. Nanoscale titanium dioxide has achieved technological breakthroughs in the field of photocatalytic degradation of VOCs. Technological innovation has become the core driving force behind the industry’s transformation from scale expansion to high-quality development.

3. Market-Driven: Emerging Demands and Upgrading of Export Structure

The market’s focus is shifting further inward: Against the backdrop of downward pressure on total exports and continued declines in imports, the importance of the Chinese market is becoming increasingly prominent. Demand in traditional sectors (such as coatings and plastics) remains stable, while demand in emerging sectors (such as new energy and photovoltaics) is growing rapidly. In the new-energy vehicle sector, titanium dioxide consumption has increased by 25% annually, and demand for photovoltaic backsheets has risen by 27% annually. Industry competition will increasingly revolve around market share in China, service responsiveness, and the level of product customization. Companies need to deepen their engagement in the Chinese market while leveraging high-end products to break into overseas markets.

IV. Competitive Landscape: Structural Adjustment and Global Expansion

The titanium dioxide industry in China has formed a "one superpower, many strong players" pattern, with leading enterprises building a full industrial chain closed loop, and small and medium-sized enterprises accelerating their exit. Demand growth in traditional fields is weak, while emerging fields are becoming new growth points. The market diversification is accelerating overseas layout. As the industry leader, Lomon Group secures raw material supply through overseas acquisitions and long-term agreements for mineral locking, and builds a globally unified sales network. It is expected that the overall structure of the titanium dioxide industry will continue to adjust in the next few years to adapt to market changes and policy directions.