Titanium Dioxide – Uses, Prices, and Production

This blog is the twentieth in a series of blogs I plan to write providing use, price, and production data on high-use inorganic and organic chemicals.  Click here to see the first blog in this series and a list of chemicals to be featured.  This blog provides data on titanium dioxide.  The primary purpose of these blogs is to present estimates of recent price, production, and sales revenues for the chemicals.  The last blog in this series will compare price, production, and sales data for all the chemicals. 

Uses.  Uses of titanium dioxide include:

Ø  As pigments used in: paints; papers; inks; fibers; rubber; cosmetic products; and food (90 to 95% of use);

Ø  As a source of titanium metal;

Ø  In sunscreens; and

Ø  In various catalyst systems.

Titanium dioxide’s use as a pigment is based on its refractive index value.

Prices.  2019 global titanium dioxide prices are believed to be in the range of $2,200 to $2,900 per metric ton (mt).

Production.  Titanium dioxide is produced primarily from two minerals, rutile and ilmenite, using either sulfuric acid or chlorine as oxidizing agents.

From the internet, estimated 2019 global production of titanium dioxide is in the 5 to 6 million mt range.  Using 5 and 6 million mt produced and the prices of $2,200 and $2,900 per mt (see Prices above) gives 2019 global revenues generated by titanium dioxide in the $11 to $17.4 billion range (5 million mt times $2,200 per mt; 6 million mt times $2,900 per mt).