China's Titanium Dioxide Suppliers Announce Fifth Price Rise This Year
From mid-September to early October 2025, Chinese titanium dioxide suppliers implemented their fifth round of price increases for the year, raising domestic prices by 300 yuan per ton and export prices by 40-50 USD per ton.
Cumulatively, these five rounds of increases have reached 1,900-2,400 yuan per ton. Despite these repeated supplier initiatives, actual market prices have declined year-on-year and fallen below the beginning-of-year levels. Data shows that rutile titanium dioxide prices dropped by 12.55% year-on-year and were down 6.63% from the start of the year, reflecting complex market contradictions underlying the official price hikes.
The industry faces weak demand at the consumption end, with price transmission mechanisms failing. The primary downstream application for titanium dioxide is architectural coatings, yet the current downturn in the real estate sector has led to insufficient demand for these coatings. Fierce competition in the end-market has made it difficult for coating manufacturers to pass on the increased titanium dioxide costs to consumers, rendering the suppliers' price increase notices largely ineffective.
As the world's largest producer of titanium dioxide, China has also seen its export performance weaken. From January to August 2025, China's total titanium dioxide exports reached 1.1901 million tons, down 7.95% year-on-year, representing a decrease of approximately 102,800 tons. A breakdown shows chloride-process titanium dioxide exports fell by 3.38%, while sulfate-process exports dropped by 8.96%.
This decline stems partly from anti-dumping investigations and tariff barriers imposed by multiple countries, including India and the EU, against Chinese titanium dioxide. Simultaneously, import data also showed weakness, with total imports of 50,500 tons representing a 20.16% year-on-year decrease, indicating a deteriorating global trade environment.
Amidst these challenges, titanium dioxide producers face mounting cost pressures. The primary raw materials for production-titanium ore and sulfuric acid-have seen sustained cost increases in recent years due to environmental policies and rising energy prices. Suppliers have attempted to pass these cost pressures through the five rounds of price hikes, but insufficient downstream demand and intense market competition have instead led to actual declines in market prices, squeezing corporate profit margins.