Titanium dioxide producers fail to increase third quarter prices due to weak demand and ample supply on Western European markets.
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) prices for deliveries in the third quarter remained virtually unchanged amid persistently weak demand and good supply. Only a few TiO2 manufacturers reportedly succeeded in implementing minor price hikes. However, these higher prices were not expected to apply until September. A few buyers noted that peak prices for deliveries of rutile and anatase pigments in the third quarter have been trimmed in several instances.
Demand for titanium dioxide remained weak across most key segments over the past few months; the usual seasonal upswing over the summer has largely failed to materialise this year, it is learnt. This is especially true of the paint and varnish sector, which has been ordering less TiO2 since the start of the second quarter than it did in the last couple of years. TiO2 demand from the decor paper industry is expected to fall even further in August when many decor paper manufacturers will stop their machines for one to two weeks.
