Two industries in one: a white pigment made from most of the ore, and an aerospace metal made from a small part.
Most titanium is never made into metal. Titanium minerals (mainly ilmenite, with rutile and slag) go mostly to titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigment, the white in paint, plastics and paper. A small share is converted to titanium sponge, the porous metal feedstock that is melted into ingots for aerospace, armour, chemical processing, marine hardware, medical implants and power generation. Titanium metal is valued for its combination of strength, low weight and corrosion resistance. The two chains share a raw material but differ in everything else: the pigment industry is large and tied to economic growth, while the metal industry is small, specialised and heavily dependent on aerospace demand.
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Designations are indicative equivalents. Always confirm the exact standard, edition and temper or form on the purchase order and the mill certificate.
China makes about 70% of the world's titanium sponge and holds about 68% of sponge capacity. Japan is the second-largest producer. The United States produced none in 2025: the last domestic plant closed in 2024, and two others are idle, so US supply depends on imports (record 44,000 t of sponge in 2025, mainly from Japan, Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia). Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026.
Ilmenite is about 90% of world consumption of titanium minerals; rutile (a richer but scarcer ore) adds about 450,000 t of TiO2 content, mostly from Australia, Sierra Leone and South Africa. China is the leading producer and consumer of titanium mineral concentrates, and imports mainly from Mozambique, Australia and Norway. Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026.
USGS estimates world reserves at more than 490 million tonnes of TiO2 content in ilmenite and more than 49 million tonnes in rutile, within total resources of over 2 billion tonnes, so there is no physical shortage. Australia holds the most ilmenite (about 170 Mt) and rutile (about 35 Mt), followed by China (110 Mt ilmenite), Canada (50 Mt), Norway (37 Mt), Madagascar (30 Mt) and South Africa (28 Mt). The more relevant limits are the capacity to convert ore to chloride-grade feedstock and to make sponge.
For metal, titanium ore is upgraded to rutile, synthetic rutile or slag, converted to titanium tetrachloride, and reduced with magnesium (the Kroll process) to sponge, which is melted in vacuum or electron-beam furnaces into ingot. The process is energy-intensive, slow and capital-heavy, and qualified aerospace supply takes years to establish. World sponge capacity is about 470,000 t, of which China holds about 320,000 t. Pigment capacity is about 9.9 Mt, with China holding about 6.0 Mt. In the United States a company has started producing titanium powder from scrap, aiming at 1,400 t a year in 2027.
Scrap (turnings, offcuts and end-of-life parts) is a significant feedstock in titanium melting, mixed with sponge to make ingot, so scrap supply and prices move with aerospace activity. USGS reports US imports of titanium scrap of about 32,000 t in 2025, at an average duty-paid value of about $7.70 per kilogram through July against $8.50 for 2024. Because alloy grade and contamination decide whether scrap can go back into aerospace-grade metal, scrap is traded and sorted by alloy.
Titanium sponge supply outside China is concentrated in Japan, Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia, with Russia as a further source. The United States is the clearest example: with no domestic sponge production and idle plants in Nevada and Utah, it imported a record 44,000 t of sponge in 2025, with Japan supplying 73%, and Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia 13% each (through July). For aerospace buyers the lesson is that qualified supply, not ore, is the constraint, and that a new source cannot simply be switched on because every aerospace part requires an approved supplier and traceable material.
Titanium minerals are priced by TiO2 content and grade: ilmenite typically contains roughly 45-65% TiO2, slag 80-95%, and rutile and synthetic rutile 92-96%, with higher-grade feedstock earning a premium. Pigment is sold by grade and type (rutile or anatase), with pricing set between producers and large buyers such as paint and plastics makers, and demand follows economic growth because paints, plastics and paper are cyclical end uses.
Sponge, ingot and mill products are not traded on an exchange. They are sold through contracts negotiated between producers, melters and mills, and priced by form and grade. Mill products (sheet, bar, tube, forging) are bought to alloy specifications (ASTM, and AMS for aerospace) with heat-lot traceability. Because aerospace users must qualify suppliers and sources, switching suppliers takes time and the market is slow to rebalance when supply is disrupted.
For titanium, be explicit about the chain you are buying into: pigment, sponge, scrap, or mill product. For metal, specify the alloy, product form and specification, insist on heat-lot traceability and certification, and confirm the supplier's approvals before ordering, since qualification can take much longer than the purchase itself.
Talk to a SpecialistProduction and reserve figures are USGS estimates for 2025 unless stated. Figures are rounded and change with each annual revision.