Price trend

Taking sulfuric acid process rutile titanium dioxide, which has a large sales volume in the domestic market, as an example, data monitored by SunSirs shows that the domestic titanium dioxide market price increased in January. On January 1st, the average price of titanium dioxide was 13,740 RMB/ton, and on January 29th, the average price was 13,900 RMB/ton, representing a price increase of 1.16%.

Market analysis

In January, domestic titanium dioxide prices increased. In the first ten days of the month, demand for titanium dioxide was generally weak, and trading activity was relatively slow, with prices remaining stable. In the middle of the month, the high price of sulfuric acid, a key raw material, remained unchanged, putting significant cost pressure on manufacturers. Titanium dioxide producers maintained firm and upward price quotations. In the latter part of the month, there was a strong expectation of price increases for titanium dioxide. Tiantai Technology issued a notice increasing the domestic price of titanium dioxide by 500 RMB/ton and the international price by 70 US dollars/ton. As of January 29, the domestic price of rutile titanium dioxide produced by the sulfuric acid process was mostly quoted between 13,200 and 14,300 RMB/ton; anatase titanium dioxide was around 12,200-12,800 RMB/ton, with actual transaction prices negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

According to customs data, in December 2025, China exported 171,800 tons of titanium dioxide, a year-on-year increase of 8.49% and a month-on-month increase of 12.88%. Of this total, 127,700 tons were sulfuric acid process titanium dioxide, a month-on-month increase of 8.49%; and 44,200 tons were chloride process titanium dioxide, a month-on-month increase of 27.83%. From January to December 2025, the total export of titanium dioxide was approximately 1.8169 million tons, a year-on-year decrease of 4.46%, or about 84,800 tons. This marks the first decline in annual titanium dioxide exports since 2016.  Of this total, chloride process titanium dioxide exports amounted to 366,500 tons, a year-on-year increase of 5.95%; while sulfuric acid process titanium dioxide exports amounted to 1.4505 million tons, a year-on-year decrease of 6.77%.

According to customs data, China imported 6,691.21 tons of titanium dioxide in December 2025, a year-on-year decrease of 7.71% and a month-on-month increase of 25.27%. Of this total, 3,549.67 tons were imported via the chloride process (a month-on-month decrease of 7.41%), and 3,141.54 tons were imported via the sulfate process (a month-on-month decrease of 2.49%). From January to December 2025, total titanium dioxide imports reached 74,500 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 18.92%. Of this total, 30,200 tons were sulfate-process titanium dioxide (a year-on-year decrease of 3.99%), and 44,400 tons were chloride-process titanium dioxide (a year-on-year decrease of 26.67%).

Market outlook

According to SunSirs' titanium dioxide analyst, titanium dioxide manufacturers were under considerable pressure this month due to production costs. As of January 29, there was a strong wait-and-see atmosphere in the market, with most companies adopting a cautious approach. It is expected that the market will operate steadily with a positive trend in the short term, and actual transaction prices will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

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