TITANIUM DIOXIDE- ▸ Coatings: White pigment and opacifier in paints, primers, and architectural finishes
- ▸ Plastics: Pigment and UV/light stabilizer in polyolefins, PVC, and engineering resins
- ▸ Paper and pulp: Whitening and opacifying filler
- ▸ Inks and enamels: Opacifying agent in printing inks, ceramic enamels, and glazes
A grade-specific Safety Data Sheet (SDS) — with the complete hazard classification, handling precautions, and transport information — is supplied with every shipment and available on request. Confirm all safety and regulatory details against the SDS for your specific grade.
Request SDS →Titanium dioxide (TiO2, CAS 13463-67-7) is the most widely used white pigment in industry — prized for its high refractive index, opacity, brightness, and UV resistance. It is supplied in two crystal forms, rutile and anatase, and goes into coatings, plastics, paper, printing inks, rubber, and a long list of other products that need a bright, durable white or a high-hiding opacifier. A small amount delivers a lot of whiteness, which is why it dominates the pigment market despite its cost.
Rutile vs. Anatase: Choosing the Right Crystal Form
The single most important spec when buying titanium dioxide is the crystal form. Rutile and anatase are the same compound but pack their atoms differently, and that difference drives refractive index, durability, and tint tone. Rutile is the workhorse for high-performance coatings and plastics; anatase is a softer, bluer white used where weatherability matters less. The table below summarizes the practical trade-offs.
| Property | Rutile | Anatase |
|---|---|---|
| Crystal structure | Tetragonal, densely packed; thermodynamically stable form | Tetragonal, more open lattice; converts to rutile at high temperature |
| Refractive index | ~2.7 (higher) | ~2.55 (lower) |
| Opacity / hiding power | Highest — superior hide per pound | Lower hiding than rutile |
| Durability / weatherability | Excellent; resists chalking outdoors, especially surface-treated grades | Limited; chalks faster in exterior exposure |
| UV / photoactivity | Lower photoactivity; preferred where coating durability is critical | Higher photoactivity; can accelerate binder breakdown in some systems |
| Whiteness / tint tone | Slightly warmer, neutral white | Bluer, brighter undertone |
| Typical uses | Architectural & industrial coatings, plastics, masterbatch, exterior systems | Paper, fibers, ceramics, interior or low-exposure applications, some specialty uses |
The trade-off is straightforward: rutile costs more and hides better, anatase is cheaper and brighter-toned but weathers poorly. Most high-volume buyers default to rutile for that reason, reserving anatase for paper, fiber, and interior work where its bluer tone and lower price win.
How It’s Made: Sulfate vs. Chloride Process
Two production routes dominate. The sulfate process digests ilmenite or titanium slag in sulfuric acid and can yield either anatase or rutile grades; it is the older route and handles a wider range of ore. The chloride process reacts titanium feedstock with chlorine to form titanium tetrachloride, then oxidizes it to TiO2; it produces rutile pigment with tight particle-size control, cleaner color, and typically the best durability. For top-tier exterior coatings, chloride-process rutile is the common specification.
Most commercial pigment is not raw TiO2 — it is surface-treated. Manufacturers coat the particles with alumina, silica, or both to improve dispersion, lightfastness, and weather durability and to suppress the catalytic photoactivity that would otherwise degrade the binder. Treatment level is tuned to the end use: heavy inorganic coatings for exterior paints, lighter treatments for plastics where compounding temperature and dispersion behavior matter. When you request a quote, the surface treatment is as important to specify as the crystal form.
Applications by Sector
Paints & coatings are the largest market by far. In architectural paint, TiO2 provides the hiding power and brightness that let one or two coats cover a wall. Industrial and automotive finishes rely on durable, surface-treated rutile for gloss retention and resistance to chalking and color drift under sun and weather. Pigment volume concentration and dispersion quality govern how much of the pigment’s hiding actually shows up in the dry film.
Plastics & masterbatch are the second-largest use. TiO2 whitens and opacifies polyolefins, PVC, ABS, and engineering resins, and it also acts as a UV/light stabilizer that helps protect the polymer from sunlight. Masterbatch producers need grades engineered for clean dispersion and thermal stability at compounding temperatures so the pigment does not cause specks, color shift, or lacing. Paper uses TiO2 as a brightening filler and coating pigment for opacity and printability, particularly in lightweight and high-brightness grades. Printing inks use it as the opaque white base for overprinting and for white inks on packaging. Rubber and construction products — including some elastomers, sealants, and cementitious or tinted building materials — use it for whiteness, UV shielding, and tint strength.
Cosmetic and food-contact grades of titanium dioxide also exist and are governed by their own purity and regulatory requirements. We supply titanium dioxide for industrial and professional use; cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and food applications require grades and documentation specific to those sectors, which should be confirmed for the intended jurisdiction and application.
Grades and Specification
Pigment-grade titanium dioxide is sold by end-use family rather than as a single product. Coatings grades are rutile with inorganic surface treatments optimized for hiding, gloss, and exterior durability. Plastics grades are rutile tuned for dispersion and thermal stability in compounding, often with lighter or organic surface treatments. Specialty grades cover paper, fiber, ink, and other niches, and anatase grades serve applications where its tone and lower cost fit. For the most demanding durability — exterior architectural and automotive — chloride-process rutile is the typical call. Specify your system (binder, processing temperature, exposure) so the appropriate grade can be confirmed against the CoA.
Bulk Supply & RFQ
RawSource supplies titanium dioxide as a powder in bulk industrial quantities — bags, super-sacks, and bulk volumes — for coatings, plastics, paper, ink, and related manufacturers. Pricing is quote-based and depends on grade, crystal form, surface treatment, and volume. To get an accurate quote, tell us the grade or target application, whether you need rutile or anatase, any surface-treatment requirement, your target volume, and we will confirm availability with a current Certificate of Analysis (CoA) and Safety Data Sheet (SDS).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is titanium dioxide used for?
Titanium dioxide (TiO2, CAS 13463-67-7) is the most widely used white pigment. It functions as a pigment and opacifier in paints, primers, and architectural and industrial coatings; a pigment and UV/light stabilizer in plastics such as polyolefins and PVC; a brightening filler in paper; and an opaque white base in printing inks, enamels, and glazes. It is also used in rubber and some construction products. We supply it as a powder in bulk.
What is the difference between rutile and anatase titanium dioxide?
Both are TiO2, but they crystallize differently. Rutile has a higher refractive index (~2.7), greater hiding power, better weatherability, and lower photoactivity, which makes it the standard for high-performance coatings, plastics, and exterior applications. Anatase has a lower refractive index (~2.55), a bluer/brighter undertone, lower cost, and weaker outdoor durability, so it is more common in paper, fibers, ceramics, and interior or low-exposure uses.
What makes titanium dioxide so white and opaque?
Its very high refractive index — about 2.7 for rutile — scatters visible light efficiently across the entire spectrum. That broad, strong scattering is what produces the bright white appearance and the high hiding power, letting a relatively small amount of pigment cover a surface. Particle size is engineered close to the optimum for light scattering, and good dispersion in the binder is required to realize that performance.
Which grade should I use for paint versus plastic?
Coatings typically use rutile grades with inorganic surface treatments optimized for hiding, gloss, and exterior durability, with chloride-process rutile preferred for the most demanding weatherable finishes. Plastics and masterbatch typically use rutile grades tuned for clean dispersion and thermal stability at compounding temperatures. Specify your binder or resin system, processing temperature, and exposure conditions so the appropriate grade can be confirmed against the CoA.
What is the difference between the sulfate and chloride production processes?
The sulfate process digests titanium ore in sulfuric acid and can produce both anatase and rutile grades; it is the older route and accepts a wider range of feedstock. The chloride process converts titanium feedstock to titanium tetrachloride and then oxidizes it to TiO2, yielding rutile pigment with tight particle-size control, cleaner color, and typically the best durability — the common choice for top-tier exterior coatings.
Is titanium dioxide safe to handle?
Titanium dioxide is a long-established industrial pigment, but its regulatory status is evolving and varies by route of exposure and jurisdiction — for example, the European Union has reassessed its use as the food additive E171. Treat it as an industrial material: review the current Safety Data Sheet (SDS) before handling, observe dust-control and respiratory-protection guidance, and confirm regulatory status and suitability for your specific application and jurisdiction. Nothing here is a health or safety claim.
Is titanium dioxide water soluble?
No. Titanium dioxide is essentially insoluble in water; it is used as a dispersed solid pigment and filler rather than in solution. Particle size and dispersion characteristics are documented on the technical data sheet.
How is bulk titanium dioxide packaged and priced?
Titanium dioxide pricing is quote-based and depends on grade, crystal form (rutile/anatase), surface treatment, volume, and packaging. We supply it as a powder in bulk industrial quantities — bags, super-sacks, and bulk. Request a bulk quote with your target volume and application for current pricing, CoA, and SDS.