Flexible trading in China's titanium dioxide market in May

May 28th 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 titanium dioxide market in China was flexible in May, and overall, the titanium dioxide market showed a slight increase. The average price of titanium dioxide on May 1st was 17,180 CNY/ton, and on May 28th, it was 17,200 CNY/ton, with a price increase of 0.12%.

II. Market Analysis

In May, the lower-end prices in China's titanium dioxide market increased, while the higher-end prices slightly decreased, with overall transactions being flexible. The overall supply of sulfur in China is tight, with the price of raw material sulfuric acid fluctuating at a high level, and the price of titanium ore remaining firm, keeping the production cost of titanium dioxide high. Ningbo Xinfu and Shandong Dongjia issued price increase letters, raising the domestic price by 1000 CNY/ton and the international price by 150 US dollars/ton. However, as the market enters the off-season, the pressure on market sales has become evident, and factory inventories are showing a slight upward trend. There is a strong game-playing sentiment between the upstream and downstream markets, with flexible transactions in the titanium dioxide market. So far, the quotations for rutile-type titanium dioxide produced by the sulfuric acid method in China mostly range from 17,000 to 18,000 CNY/ton; anatase-type is around 15,000 to 16,000 CNY/ton, with actual transaction prices negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

According to customs data, in April 2026, China imported 5,053.29 tons of titanium dioxide, a decrease of 23.29% year-on-year and 14.72% month-on-month. Among these, 2,597.04 tons were imported via the chloride process, and 2,456.25 tons via the sulfate process. From January to April 2026, China's cumulative imports of titanium dioxide were approximately 20,600 tons, a decrease of 24.67% year-on-year. Of this, 12,759.80 tons were imported via the chloride process, a decrease of 19.32% year-on-year, and 7,862.13 tons via the sulfate process, a decrease of 31.98% year-on-year.

According to customs data, China exported approximately 193,500 tons of titanium dioxide in April 2026, a year-on-year increase of 30.73% and a month-on-month decrease of 3.98%. Among these, the sulfate process accounted for about 157,000 tons, with a month-on-month increase of 0.09%, while the chloride process accounted for 42,800 tons, with a month-on-month decrease of 16.02%. From January to April 2026, the cumulative export of titanium dioxide reached 730,300 tons, a year-on-year increase of 12.53%. The sulfate process contributed 551,700 tons, a year-on-year increase of 5.88%, and the chloride process contributed about 178,600 tons, a year-on-year increase of 39.63%.

III. Future Market Forecast

Titanium dioxide analysts believe: Currently, the Chinese market for titanium dioxide is flexibly traded, with a wait-and-see attitude prevailing. There is much attention on the plans of leading companies for next month. It is expected that the titanium dioxide market will mainly remain stable in the short term.