Industrial Minerals

Titanium Dioxide – Market Overview

TRG produces two titanium bearing minerals, natural rutile and Ilmenite, which are used as feedstock in the production of titanium dioxide pigment, a white pigment used in the production of paints, paper, plastics and pharmaceuticals.

Natural rutile is a high titanium-bearing feedstock and the rutile mined at SRL has grades of over 95%. Ilmenite, a lower titanium-bearing feedstock, is also produced at SRL for similar markets. Production at SRL currently represents approximately 14 percent of the world’s annual supply of natural rutile and this is expected to increase to approximately 30% by mid 2008.

The titanium mineral industry has revenues of approximately $2bn per annum and 2006 titanium dioxide pigment consumption was approximately 4.8m tonnes. By 2015 demand is forecast to have increased to 7.3m tonnes. Consumption of TiO2 pigment has grown on average by 3% per annum over the past thirty years.

TRG’s share of natural rutile market (2008 expected)
Numbers are estimated and based on the company’s own figures

TRG’s customers by market sector
Expressed as a percentage of TiO2 units

Natural rutile vs other mineral sands