Update for trend of titanium dioxide
In late June, the titanium dioxide market trend has become clear, divided into two major camps. Manufacturers with abundant domestic and overseas pending orders maintain firm high prices, while most other producers cut their prices to different extents.
The market has reached an inflection point in the off-season, with prices obviously moving down. Transaction prices for rigid spot orders are declining accordingly, and numerous low-price offers are circulating in the market. Weaker demand has become the dominant factor. Even the price of raw material sulfur has fallen, which further speeds up the price reduction of titanium dioxide.
As the first half of 2026 is coming to an end, the price increase notices released by some producers in early June only slowed down the price drop temporarily. Faced with continuously poor demand, factories have to accept market reality. Deal-by-deal pricing and small price cuts are common, as manufacturers strive to complete their half-year sales tasks.
At present, the biggest problem is not insufficient spot goods, but fierce market competition. Buyers keep pressing down prices, and suppliers are caught in price wars. June may just be the start of the off-season. As long as profits can be guaranteed, producers will adjust prices flexibly purely based on supply and demand instead of raw material costs such as sulfuric acid and sulfur.
Not all ultra-low quotations are reliable. Both buyers and sellers need to distinguish between quotations and product quality. Large long-term customers prefer reasonable prices, because they value stable supply, consistent quality and comprehensive after-sales service rather than only chasing the lowest price.
Since early June, downstream buyers have exhausted their earlier stockpiles, and rigid demand has gradually picked up, better than that in May. Most petrochemical raw materials have become cheaper. End users expect further falls in titanium dioxide prices, so they only place orders as needed and remain on the sidelines.
