The Worsening Situation in Ukraine Has Affected Global Titanium Supplies

Related websites reported that the possible interruption of Russian commodity exports has made titanium, a metal used in the aerospace, marine and automotive industries, a focus. After the Russian-Ukrainian military conflict, the United States and Europe imposed financial sanctions on Russian banks, individuals, and other entities. However, sanctions have not been imposed on Russian commodity exporters such as VSMPO-Avisma, which supplies titanium to aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing and Airbus.

However, the Western Alliance's removal of some Russian banks from the International Funds Clearing System (SWIFT) may affect the country's commodity export supply, and may also suspend the entry and exit of containers into and out of Russia.

1. What is Titanium?

Titanium (Titanium) is a metal chemical element with the chemical symbol Ti and the atomic number 22. It is located in the 4th cycle and IVB group in the periodic table of chemical elements. Discovered by Gregor in 1791.

It is a silver-white transition metal characterized by light weight, high strength, metallic luster, and resistance to wet chlorine corrosion. However, titanium cannot be used in dry chlorine gas. Even dry chlorine gas with a temperature below 0℃ will undergo violent chemical reactions to generate titanium tetrachloride, which will decompose to generate titanium dichloride, and even burn. Only when the water content of chlorine gas is higher than 0.5% can titanium maintain reliable stability in it.

2. Why is titanium named after it?

The name Titanium comes from the Titans in Greek mythology. The abundance of this metal in the earth's crust is 0.6%.

Titanium is a kind of metal with high hardness, strength and light weight, and has extraordinary corrosion resistance. Titanium is as strong as steel, but its weight is 45% lighter.

3. Where does titanium come from?

Titanium minerals are used to make sponge titanium, which in turn produces metals for industrial use.

According to data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the global production of titanium sponge in 2020 will be 210,000 tons. China is the world's largest producer of titanium sponge, accounting for 57% of the world's production.

According to USGS data, Japan ranks second, accounting for nearly 17%, followed by Russia, with a market share of nearly 13%. Kazakhstan produced 16,000 tons and Ukraine produced 03,700 tons.

Russia's reserves of titanium ore are not high. “In 2021, Ukraine will be the main importer of titanium concentrate from Russia," the USGS said. “Other major countries include Vietnam, Mozambique and Kazakhstan.” The USGS estimates that Ukraine produced 525,000 tons of titanium concentrate last year.

4. Who imports titanium?

According to the British Commodity Research Institute (CRU), China was the largest importer of titanium sponge last year, with imports increasing from 0.6 million tons in 2020 to more than 16,000 tons.

The second largest importer is the United States, with imports falling from 19,000 tons in 2020 to 16,000 tons last year.

Japan is the country that exports the most titanium sponge to China and the United States, exporting 08,000 tons and 14,000 tons respectively last year.

“The recovery of the construction and aviation industries last year led to a sharp increase in demand for titanium products after the epidemic,” CRU analysts said.

The tight supply of titanium is reflected in the price of titanium sponge. Since the end of December, the price of titanium sponge has increased by nearly 9%, and it is currently about USD$99/kg.

5. What is the use of titanium?

In the aviation industry, titanium is used to make landing gear, blades, and turbine discs. In the marine industry, titanium plates are used in the manufacture of ships and submarines. In the automotive field, it is used for internal combustion engine components.

In chemical processing, titanium can prevent fatigue and cracking. In electronic cigarettes, titanium wire is used to improve safety and control problems. In sports, titanium is used to make golf club heads.

In the medical industry, titanium is also used in joint replacements and dental implants because its density is similar to that of human bones.