Recently, the titanium dioxide (TiO₂) industry has seen a new round of price adjustment moves. Companies such as CITIC Titanium Industry and Bengbu Guotai have successively issued price increase notices, announcing that from late February to early March they will raise TiO₂ selling prices by RMB 500/ton in the domestic market and USD 100/ton for exports. Under the current market conditions, this move carries a strong “weathervane” significance.
Looking back over the past period, TiO₂ prices have generally fluctuated at low levels. Due to a slower-than-expected recovery in end-user demand and intensified market competition, corporate profit margins have been continuously squeezed. Meanwhile, costs have not shown a meaningful decline. Titanium ore supply remains tight; sulfuric acid prices have rebounded at certain stages; and energy as well as environmental-compliance costs continue to provide rigid support. With prices running below the cost-support range for an extended time, such a situation is clearly unsustainable.
From the supply side, the industry’s inventory structure has improved significantly compared with last year. Some producers have implemented phased output cuts or maintenance shutdowns, channel inventories have been gradually digested, and low-priced supply has been decreasing. The market is shifting from a previous “inventory pressure phase” to a “structural repair phase.” Against the dual backdrop of declining inventories and elevated costs, there is limited room for further downside in prices.
Notably, export prices have also been raised by USD 100/ton, indicating that overseas demand remains resilient. Stable international pricing provides external support for the domestic pricing system and strengthens producers’ confidence in executing price adjustment policies.
Market sentiment is also quietly changing. Inquiry activity has picked up recently, downstream customers are showing a stronger willingness to lock in prices, and some distributors have begun replenishing inventories in batches. Although a broad-based uptrend has not yet been fully established, signs of a phased bottom are gradually becoming clearer.
Zhongyuan Shengbang continues to track front-line industry developments and, in combination with market changes, provides customers with timely and objective market analysis as well as stable product supply support. Under the current market environment, we recommend that, based on production schedules and order conditions, customers moderately lock in part of their supply, optimize procurement rhythms, and enhance cost-control capabilities. Market windows often disappear in an instant. Making rational judgments on trends and positioning in advance is the most effective way to navigate cyclical volatility.
Post time: Mar-03-2026
