Another 1,000 yuan! The titanium dioxide industry enters its fifth round of price increases”

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The 25th National \"Safety Production Month\" in 2026: Everyone should talk about safety and know how to handle emergencies; risks and hazards must be identified and addressed. -------------------------------------------------- On June 5, Longbai Group issued a statement announcing that it would adjust the prices of all its titanium dioxide products effective immediately, with an increase of 1,000 RMB per ton in the domestic market and 150 USD per ton in international markets. Subsequently, more than 10 titanium dioxide producers, including Shandong Xianghai, Jinhai Titanium Industry, and TiNeng Chemistry, sent similar letters, initiating the fifth round of collective price increases this year. As of the 10th, a total of 14 companies jointly sent letters announcing price increases. According to the Industrial Big Data Department of Tuduoduo, currently, the mainstream prices in China for rutile and anatase titanium dioxide produced by the sulfuric acid method are 15,800–17,300 yuan per ton and 14,500–15,000 yuan per ton, respectively. The mainstream price for general-purpose rutile titanium dioxide produced by the chlorination method domestically is 16,500–18,000 yuan per ton (all prices mentioned are ex-factory prices including tax). Yang Xun, an industry analyst at Yan Titi, believes that there are two main reasons for this price increase: first, the prices of key raw materials such as sulfur and sulfuric acid remain high. The spot price of sulfur has approached 10,000 yuan per ton, which provides strong support for producers’ costs ； Second, the situation for overseas exports remains relatively optimistic. Compared to the 3–6 month order lead times of several major producers overseas, China’s capacity to supply titanium dioxide is quite strong, which is why there is a significant return in orders. **Yu Jie, Secretary-General of the Titanium Dioxide Center at the Chemical Production Capacity Promotion Center, also believes that the essence of this round of price increases is a strategy of \"using price hikes to maintain stability\" driven by rising costs, with extreme cost pressures being the main driving force behind it. In 2026, sulfur prices soared by over 90%, which in turn drove up the price of sulfuric acid by 213% on a year-on-year basis. Since about 3–4 tons of sulfuric acid are required to produce one ton of titanium dioxide via this method, the production cost of titanium dioxide increased by around 3,000–5,000 yuan per ton. Qi Yu, a titanium analyst at TuDuDu’s Industrial Big Data Department, said that Longbai Group, a leading manufacturer of titanium dioxide, was the first to issue a price increase notice; subsequently, more than a dozen other companies followed suit and raised their prices, creating a trend of collective price increases. The strong willingness among industry players to maintain high prices contributed to the implementation of the fifth round of price hikes. At present, the profitability of most enterprises has declined again, with significant differences in profits among them. Additionally, the price of ferrous sulfate in some areas has dropped this month, causing the selling prices of certain factories to approach their cost levels once more. Qi Yu said that with raw material prices remaining high, the room for companies to reduce prices has further shrunk, prompting manufacturers to generally opt to hold their prices. Yang Xun pointed out that there are currently three patterns among titanium dioxide producers: the leading producers have a favorable export situation, with sufficient orders on hand; their overall sales proportion exceeds 60%, and they have strong confidence in the market ； Producers with relatively weak export performance rely mainly on domestic sales for support; their ex-factory prices have seen a slight decrease, and they clearly intend to attract customers and orders by taking advantage of price differences ； Producers in a middle position tend to maintain stable prices, observing market conditions and waiting for the right moment to act. When discussing the key supports and potential risks in the current market, Yu Jie believes that exports serve as a crucial buffer, but their structure is changing. From January to April this year, China’s total exports of titanium dioxide increased by 12.53% on a year-on-year basis, helping to alleviate the imbalance between supply and demand domestically. In particular, the export of titanium dioxide produced by the chlorination method increased by 39.63% on a year-on-year basis, with a growth rate significantly higher than that of products produced by the sulfuric acid method. This indicates that China’s titanium dioxide exports are shifting from relying on the cost advantages of the sulfuric acid process to seeking alternatives in the form of high-end chlorination process products. However, Yu Jie warned that a growth model reliant on exports faces structural risks. China’s dependence on titanium dioxide exports has exceeded 30%. However, export markets are characterized by increasing volume alongside falling prices, and they face growing trade barriers (such as anti-dumping duties imposed by the EU and investigations in India), which introduces uncertainty into the strategy of relying heavily on exports to absorb production capacity. By June, the titanium dioxide market gradually enters the off-season, with a weakening demand trend becoming apparent. What will be the trend in the future? Yang Xun believes that with the arrival of the fifth wave of price increases in 2026, the foundation of the market has been strengthened, which provides reassurance to those who were trying to predict market trends and also boosts market confidence, thereby greatly reducing the likelihood of price cuts. Yu Jie believes that after June, the market enters the traditional off-season for demand; if domestic demand does not see significant improvement, the confidence that was maintained through price increases earlier will be put to the test through actual transactions. The cautious attitude of distributors and end-users indicates that the market does not fully agree to continuous price increases. “Short-term price battles are unlikely to fundamentally change the situation in the titanium dioxide industry. ”Yu Jie pointed out that in the medium to long term, the key to determining a company’s value lies in upgrading its product portfolio by developing high-end products such as those produced via the chlorination process, in order to overcome foreign trade barriers and improve profitability. The industry chain is strengthening its \"mineralization integration\" strategy, taking control of upstream titanium ore resources to stabilize cost fluctuations. The production capacity is deployed globally by establishing factories overseas to be closer to markets and avoid trade risks.