China’s Titanium Dioxide Exports Exceed One Million Tons in First Half of 2026

I. Key Customs Data to H1 2026: Semiannual Exports Break the One-Million-Ton Mark

From January to June 2026, China’s cumulative titanium dioxide exports reached 1.0684 million tons—a year-on-year increase of 16.56% and a record high to the period. This marks the first time the domestic sector’s semiannual export volume has crossed the one-million-ton limit, signaling a phased recovery in trade patterns.

Divergence in process-based product structures is pronounced. Sulfate-process items—the traditional mainstay—saw cumulative exports of 807,600 tons (up 9.23% year-on-year), accounting to over 70% of total exports and serving as the bedrock of overseas sales. In contrast, high-end chloride-process items demonstrated explosive development; exports totaled 260,800 tons (up 47.12% year-on-year)—a development rate nearly five times that of the sulfate process—with their share of total exports rising from 19% in the same period last year to 24.4%, reflecting rapidly growing international recognition of these high-end items.

On the import side, the direction of year-over-year decline continued; cumulative imports to the first half of 2026 totaled just 25,900 tons, down 25.67% year-on-year. Specifically, imports of chloride-process items fell 22.19% to 15,900 tons, while sulfate-process imports dropped 30.39% to 10,300 tons. This highlights the accelerating pace of import substitution to high-end titanium dioxide, as domestic production capacity increasingly fills the supply gap to premium-grade items. II. Longitudinal Comparison of Total Annual Import and Export Volumes (2021–2025)