Current Status and 2026 Outlook of China’s Chloride-Process Titanium Dioxide Industry

In recent years, China’s chloride-process titanium dioxide (TiO?) industry has steadily advanced in technological upgrades, capacity expansion, and export structure optimization, becoming one of the key directions for the high-end development of the domestic TiO? sector. Against the backdrop of global economic fluctuations and intensified market competition, Chinese chloride-process TiO? has demonstrated strong growth momentum thanks to its high quality and excellent application performance.

According to the latest industry statistics, China’s total TiO? production in 2025 is expected to reach approximately 4.72 million tons, a slight decrease of about 1.0% compared to 2024. Of this, chloride-process TiO? production is estimated at around 752,000 tons, up approximately 89,000 tons year-on-year, accounting for about 15.9% of total domestic production, with its share in high-end products continuing to rise. In 2025, the effective capacity of China’s TiO? industry reached about 6.217 million tons/year, further expanding compared to 2024, reflecting a parallel trend of capacity growth in chloride-process production and the overall industry.

Regarding export structure, China’s total TiO? exports in 2025 were approximately 1.8169 million tons, down slightly by 4.5% year-on-year. Among these, chloride-process TiO? exports reached about 366,500 tons, up 5.95% year-on-year, demonstrating the resilience of high-end products in overseas markets. In contrast, sulfate-process TiO? exports showed a decline.

From a pricing perspective, the domestic TiO? average price in 2025 showed a fluctuating downward trend. The tax-inclusive ex-factory price for chloride-process rutile TiO? ranged from approximately CNY 14,000–17,500/ton, indicating that under cost pressures and market supply-demand adjustments, high-end products maintained relatively strong pricing power.

Facing both domestic and international market pressures, China’s chloride-process TiO? industry continues to optimize capacity layout and upgrade technological routes. On one hand, driven by environmental policies, green manufacturing, and growing demand for high-performance products, the chloride process, as a cleaner and more technologically advanced method, is accelerating its replacement of the traditional sulfate process. On the other hand, domestic companies are continuously enhancing product performance and international competitiveness through technological innovation.

Looking ahead to 2026, industry research institutions predict that China’s total TiO? output could reach around 5.018 million tons, with installed capacity expected to remain above 6.43 million tons and capacity utilization staying at a relatively high level. As demand gradually recovers in downstream sectors such as coatings, automotive, plastics, and new energy, and as the export market structure continues to adjust, the market share of high-end chloride-process TiO? is expected to further increase, with export volumes likely to remain stable or slightly rise.

Overall, China’s chloride-process TiO? industry has achieved steady growth in production, exports, and technology, not only increasing the domestic share of high-end products but also exerting a significant impact on the global TiO? supply and technology landscape. Looking forward, it maintains clear advantages in quality-focused and green development pathways.