How Titanium Is Mined and Processed
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Titanium metal is made as sponge from titanium mineral concentrates and goes mostly into aerospace, while most of the mineral concentrates are consumed as titanium dioxide pigment. In 2025 China produced an estimated 260,000 t, 70% of world sponge production (USGS world total: 370,000 t), according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
70%
of world sponge production came from China in 2025
Which countries produce titanium?
| Country | 2024 | 2025 (estimate) | Share of 2025 world |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 256,000 | 260,000 | 70% |
| Japan | 57,000 | 53,000 | 14% |
| Russia | 33,000 | 25,000 | 6.8% |
| Kazakhstan | 19,000 | 16,000 | 4.3% |
| Saudi Arabia | 14,000 | 12,000 | 3.2% |
| India | 300 | 300 | <0.1% |
| United States | NA | Withheld | - |
| World total (USGS, rounded) | 380,000 | 370,000 | 100% |
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Titanium and titanium dioxide. Shares are calculated from the country figures and can differ by a point or two from percentages USGS states in its text, because USGS rounds its figures. NA means not available; Withheld means USGS withheld the figure to avoid disclosing company data.
How is titanium mined and processed?
- Titanium sponge metal is made from titanium mineral concentrates. Ilmenite accounts for about 90% of the world's consumption of titanium minerals, and ilmenite, leucoxene, rutile, slag and synthetic rutile compete as feedstocks.
- More than 95% of titanium mineral concentrates are consumed by titanium dioxide pigment producers. The remainder goes into welding-rod coatings, carbides, chemicals and titanium metal.
- China is the leading producer and consumer of titanium mineral concentrates, with about one-third of global ilmenite production. Mozambique and South Africa are second and third.
- USGS puts world sponge capacity at 470,000 tons in 2025: China 320,000, Japan 65,200, Russia 46,500, Kazakhstan 26,000 and Saudi Arabia 15,600.
- In the United States one company recovers ilmenite and rutile concentrates in Georgia and Florida, another produces a mixed heavy-mineral concentrate in California, and a third began commercial ilmenite production in Virginia.
Resources. Ilmenite accounts for about 90% of the world's consumption of titanium minerals. World resources of anatase, ilmenite and rutile total more than 2 billion tons.
Frequently asked questions
Which country produces the most titanium?
China produces the most titanium: an estimated 260,000 t, or 70% of the world total, in 2025, according to the USGS sponge production figures.
What is titanium used for?
Titanium is used in aerospace, armor, chemical processing, marine hardware, medical implants and power generation and titanium dioxide pigment. Aerospace: the majority of titanium metal.
Is titanium a critical mineral?
Yes. Titanium is on all four official critical minerals lists: the US, EU, Australian and Canadian. Titanium was already on the 2022 US list and stays on the final 2025 list of 60 minerals. US net import reliance for titanium in 2025 was 100%.
Can titanium be recycled?
USGS withheld consumption data for titanium scrap in the titanium metal industry because of limited survey responses. US imports of titanium scrap were an estimated 32,000 tons in 2025, mainly from the United Kingdom (19%), France and Japan (10% each), and Germany, the Republic of Korea and Singapore (9% each).
Sources
Read on October 13, 2026. Figures on this page come from these documents; where a number is an estimate, the source says so.
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Titanium and titanium dioxide. Production, reserves, uses, substitutes, recycling and events
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Titanium mineral concentrates
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: introduction (Table 7 and Figures 10A and 10B). Net import reliance, leading producer and price changes for critical minerals
- Federal Register: Final 2025 List of Critical Minerals
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2024/1252
- Department of Industry, Science and Resources: Australia’s Critical Minerals List and Strategic Materials List
- Government of Canada: Canada’s critical minerals
- Tronox, Form 10-K for 2025 (filed 20 February 2026)
- Rio Tinto: fourth quarter 2025 operations review (21 January 2026)
- IperionX: March 2026 quarterly report (27 April 2026)
Related topics
Titanium: full profile
Uses, producers, price, substitutes and critical list status for titanium.
China profile
Production, policy and projects in China.
Critical Minerals Lists Compared
The US, EU, Australian and Canadian lists side by side.
Chromium
Profile of chromium.
Hafnium
Profile of hafnium.
Niobium
Profile of niobium.
