[SMM Titanium Express] LB Group issued its third TiO₂ price increase notice this month. Effective March 24, domestic prices will rise by RMB 1,000/ton and international prices by USD 150/ton. Cost pressures persist with strong market bullish sentiment.

[SMM Titanium Express] Asahi Kasei, Nippon Steel and Nippon Steel Trading have jointly launched a titanium recycling system for chlor-alkali electrolysis cells, processing production scrap into pure titanium feedstock for corrosion-resistant anode components. Through supply chain collaboration and digital traceability, the closed-loop system enhances resource efficiency and reduces environmental impact. The partners plan to expand cooperation to further integrate secondary raw materials into production processes.

[SMM Titanium Weekly Review: Cost-Driven Titanium Dioxide Price Hikes Took Effect, Market Adjustments Released Upward Signals] This week, the titanium industry chain showed a divergent trend. The titanium concentrate market remained in the doldrums, with imported ore prices falling लगातार under pressure from downstream efforts to push for lower prices and accumulating port inventory. Titanium dioxide, meanwhile, saw the second round of collective price adjustments in mid-month under persistently high sulphuric acid costs. Mainstream enterprises in China raised domestic prices by 500 yuan/mt and export prices by $100/mt, pushing the quoted center up to 14,000-14,500 yuan/mt, though follow-up from domestic demand remained mediocre and foreign trade orders showed clear divergence. The titanium slag market stayed in the doldrums, with prices under pressure amid weak costs and demand. In the titanium sponge market, leading enterprises took the lead in raising prices, with domestic prices up 2,000 yuan/mt and international prices up $300/mt. Supported by restocking demand for titanium materials and low inventory, the market showed a strong willingness to hold prices firm, but downstream processing segments still maintained a wait-and-see stance, and titanium ingot and titanium plate/strip prices only edged up slightly. Overall, cost support and structural demand divergence coexisted, and future price trends still depended on substantive improvement on the supply and demand side.

Russia’s Solikamsk Magnesium Works recently launched industrialised production of magnesium alloys containing rare earth elements such as neodymium, cerium, and lanthanum. The products combine lightweight properties with high strength and are mainly targeted at sectors including aerospace and automotive manufacturing. The plant accounts for 100% of Russia’s rare earth compound production and 75% of its magnesium capacity, and this capacity expansion further consolidates its position in the strategic metals sector. Meanwhile, the “magnesium-based hydrogen slurry” technology developed by Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute has sparked controversy. Independent analysis indicated that the technology’s overall system efficiency is only about 10, its energy density is comparable to that of lithium batteries, its cost is far higher than expectations, and its recycling chain has yet to form a closed loop. It is only suitable for demonstration scenarios at the hundred-watt level and is unlikely to achieve commercial application. The two pieces of news reflect the different technological pathways and industrialisation prospects of magnesium-based materials in high-end manufacturing and energy storage.

[SMM Titanium Express] Guizhou Province's 2026 key projects list includes multiple titanium chemical projects: Kaiyang "P-S-Ti-Cu-Fe-Li-F" integrated project with 400,000 tpa TiO₂ and 1.4Mtpa ferrous sulfate heptahydrate; Kaiyang Sunward 300,000 tpa TiO₂ project with nearly 5.1 billion yuan investment targeting 10 billion yuan annual output; Sunward Fuquan 100,000 tpa TiO₂ project with pyrite acid plant, achieving full "Ti-P-S-Fe" resource recycling.

[SMM Titanium Express] Chaoyang Jinda Titanium's 20,000-ton aerospace-grade sponge titanium project has completed structural work and entered equipment installation. Upon full commissioning in 2028, high-end sponge titanium capacity will exceed 50,000 tpa, with magnesium capacity reaching 40,000 tpa and titanium tetrachloride capacity 180,000 tpa. The facility incorporates waste heat recovery and digital control systems, reducing energy consumption by over 15% below industry average, strengthening domestic supply security for aerospace-grade titanium feedstock.

[SMM Titanium Spot Flash: Imported Titanium Ore Market Remained Under Pressure, Sluggish Port Sales Forced Traders to Cut Prices for Shipments] SMM News, March 19: Imported titanium ore prices remained under pressure today. Quotations for Mozambique-origin titanium concentrate with TiO₂≥46% were 1,670-1,730 yuan/mt, down 30 yuan from yesterday; quotations for Nigeria-origin titanium concentrate with TiO₂≥50% were 1,780-1,830 yuan/mt, down 25 yuan from yesterday; quotations for Australia-origin titanium concentrate with TiO₂≥50% were 1,830-1,880 yuan/mt, down 25 yuan from yesterday.

[SMM Titanium Express] Sovereign Metals signed an MOU with Mitsui & Co. for the sale of natural rutile from its Kasiya Project in Malawi. The initial four-year supply period contemplates up to 70,000 tpa of rutile concentrate with TiO₂ >95%. Japan is the world's second-largest titanium metal producer, supplying over 70% of U.S. titanium sponge imports. The cooperation aligns with recent U.S.-EU-Japan critical minerals supply chain initiatives, highlighting rutile's strategic value as feedstock for high-end titanium applications.

[SMM Titanium Spot Update: High Costs Drive a Second Titanium Dioxide Price Increase Within the Month, While Diverging Domestic and External Demand Tests the Sustainability of the Hike] In mid-March, titanium dioxide enterprises in China collectively issued a second round of price increase notices within the month, raising domestic prices by 500 yuan/mt and export prices by $100/mt, mainly because elevated sulphuric acid prices forced cost pass-through. At present, enterprises are operating at full capacity, but mediocre domestic demand and foreign trade constrained by geopolitical factors have intensified market divergence. Expectations of tighter sulphuric acid supply still support confidence to hold prices firm, but the sustainability of the price increase remains to be verified by follow-up demand.

[SMM Titanium Express] LB Group issued a price adjustment notice. Effective March 16, prices for all Billions brand TiO₂ products will increase by RMB 500/ton for domestic market and USD 100/ton for overseas market. This marks the second price hike announcement this month, as high raw material costs continue to pressure industry profitability, driving the market upward.