MATERIALSDECODED
Titanium · Application-wise

Titanium's Applications: Paint Takes 95 Percent, Not Planes

White TiO2 pigment in paint, plastic, and paper consumes over 95 percent of mined titanium. Aerospace, the famous use, is a sliver of total ore demand.

Titanium is the clearest case in this series of a material whose public image and its actual demand data point in completely different directions.

White pigment (TiO2)

95% of ore demand

Paint, plastic, paper, and sunscreen, the dominant use by an overwhelming margin, driven by pigment industry economics covered on the geology page.

Aerospace metal

48% of metal demand

Structural components using the strength-to-weight advantage covered on the mechanics page, the largest use within the much smaller metal-only market.

Industrial

38% of metal demand

Chemical processing, power generation, and marine equipment, relying on titanium's corrosion resistance.

Medical implants

6% of metal demand

Hip and dental implants, using the biocompatibility covered on the mechanics page.

Two demand pools, two very different pictures

White pigment (TiO2)
95%
Metal and other
5%
Split of total mined titanium ore, 2024. Only this bottom 5% slice feeds the metal production covered on the mining page.
Aerospace
48%
Industrial
38%
Consumer and sports
8%
Medical implants
6%
Split within the metal-only market specifically, a genuinely different, much smaller demand pool.

Sources: end-use shares reference this project’s own verified demand data (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025).