Titanium

Titanium is a strong, lightweight metal known for its excellent corrosion resistance and high strength-to-weight ratio. It is primarily extracted from ilmenite and rutile ores, with Australia, South Africa, and Canada being the top producers. Titanium is widely used in aerospace, medical implants, and industrial applications such as chemical processing.

Sub-Category	Abbreviation	Core Content Range	Size Range
Ferrotitanium	FeTi	Ti 10-100%	0-100 mm
Titanium Dioxide	Rutile	TiO2 94-100%	0-0.25 mm
Titanium Metal	Ti metal	Ti 90-100%	n/a
Titanium Sponge	Ti Sponge	Ti 97.7-100%	0-50 mm

Please note that the above listed sub-categories including its core content and size ranges are just a snapshot of Metalshub’s currently traded raw materials. We are adding new sub-categories on a monthly basis and would be happy to assess your specific requirements to this category.

Metalshub provides producers and consumers of titanium with a software solution to improve the way they buy or sell it. Our software connects over 2,000 companies in a joint trading network. This allows sellers to discover new buyers of titanium and buyers to discover new suppliers of titanium.

For buyers, Metalshub’s Procurement Solution allows steel mills, foundries, and other consumers to digitalise their procurement process in order to increase sourcing efficiency, ensure compliant buying, and take data-driven decisions. For sellers, Metalshub’s Sales Solution allows miners, traders, and other sellers to digitalise their sales process, manage inventory, and optimise their sales book.

Several institutions provide pricing data for titanium:

1. Argus Media: Argus provides journalistic price assessments for ferrotitanium and other titanium-related products, with a focus on key markets like North America and Europe. Their platform offers insights into the titanium supply chain, making it valuable for industries like aerospace and automotive​ (Argus Media).
2. Shanghai Metals Market (SMM): SMM provides journalistic price updates for titanium in China, offering information on titanium’s role in the steelmaking and alloy industries ​(SMM).
3. Metis: For ferrotitanium robust transaction-based price data is made available by Metis. The prices are adjusted considering FCA warehouse in a major European sea port and prepayment (Metis).

Beyond these three examples, other providers may also provide prices.

The leading producers of titanium are:

• Australia – ~30% of global titanium production, a major supplier of ilmenite and rutile ores.
• South Africa – ~20%, focusing on high-grade rutile ore production.
• Canada – ~<15% of global titanium production
• China – ~10% of global titanium production

Some of the key producers of titanium include:

• Tronox (USA) – ~10% of global production
• Iluka Resources (Australia) – ~10% of global titanium production
• VSMPO-AVISMA (Russia) – ~<10% of global titanium production
• Rio Tinto (UK) – ~<10%, involved in ilmenite mining and titanium dioxide production.
• Lomon Billions (China) – ~5%, key producer of titanium dioxide and other titanium products

Titanium is extracted from ilmenite and rutile ores through surface mining or dredging. The ore is then processed to remove impurities, and titanium is separated via chemical reactions to produce titanium metal or titanium dioxide. The metal is often alloyed with other elements to improve its mechanical properties.

Titanium is primarily used in the aerospace industry (~50%) due to its high strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance. It is also used in medical implants (~15%) and industrial applications (~10%) such as chemical processing equipment. Titanium dioxide (~20%) is used as a pigment in paints, coatings, and plastics. Titanium ingots, sponge, and alloys are the common forms traded in these sectors.