FerroAlloyNet 21st International Ti & Zr Industry Development Summit

From March 26-27, 2026, the FerroAlloyNet 21st International Ti & Zr Industry Development Summit, hosted by FerroAlloyNet, was successfully held in Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province. As a highly influential annual event in the global titanium and zirconium industry, the conference brought together over 400 corporate representatives, industry experts, and scholars from across the upstream and downstream segments of the global industrial chain. Focusing on the macroeconomic trends and industrial transformations of 2026, participants discussed new opportunities for industry development and explored new pathways for cooperation and mutual success.

On the afternoon of March 26, a trade negotiation event was held concurrently with the conference. Enterprises engaged in in-depth discussions on cooperation details, exploring pricing, quality, and delivery terms through various formats such as roadshows, exhibition boards, and a supply-demand broadcast platform. On-site demonstrations of advanced equipment and hands-on experience with physical samples greatly enhanced negotiation efficiency, providing strong support for precise matching and coordinated development across the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain.

From March 26-27, 2026, the FerroAlloyNet 21st International Ti & Zr Industry Development Summit, hosted by FerroAlloyNet, was successfully held in Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province. As a highly influential annual event in the global titanium and zirconium industry, the conference brought together over 400 corporate representatives, industry experts, and scholars from across the upstream and downstream segments of the global industrial chain. Focusing on the macroeconomic trends and industrial transformations of 2026, participants discussed new opportunities for industry development and explored new pathways for cooperation and mutual success.

On the afternoon of March 26, a trade negotiation event was held concurrently with the conference. Enterprises engaged in in-depth discussions on cooperation details, exploring pricing, quality, and delivery terms through various formats such as roadshows, exhibition boards, and a supply-demand broadcast platform. On-site demonstrations of advanced equipment and hands-on experience with physical samples greatly enhanced negotiation efficiency, providing strong support for precise matching and coordinated development across the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain.

On the morning of March 27, the conference officially opened. Cai Yu, President of Zhanjiang Zirconium and Titanium Mining Association, delivered the opening address. He stated that Zhanjiang is emerging as an important cluster for the zirconium and titanium industry, and expressed his hope that attendees would take this conference as an opportunity to deepen exchanges, seek cooperation, and ride the momentum of the South China Sea to jointly propel the zirconium and titanium industry toward a higher-quality future.

At present, the accelerating adjustment of the global economic and trade landscape, coupled with the pace of domestic economic recovery, monetary policy orientation, and changes in foreign trade policies, is profoundly influencing the supply and demand trends and overseas playout of the titanium and zirconium industry. The conference specially invited renowned economist Han Wengao, Economist and Executive Director of the Asia Wealth Forum, to deliver a keynote report titled Analysis and Outlook of Domestic and International Macroeconomic Situation in 2026, which deeply analyzed the global economic recovery landscape and domestic policy directions, providing guidance for decision-making and playout across the industrial chain.

In his report titled Current Status and Outlook of China's Titanium Dioxide Industry in 2026, Qi Xiangzhao, Secretary-General of China National Coatings Industry Association Titanium Dioxide Industry Branch, pointed out that 2025 was an extraordinary year for the titanium dioxide industry: downstream demand growth slowed, sulfuric acid prices continued to rise, multiple anti-dumping investigations led to the imposition of tariffs, and contradictions in the export market became prominent. However, industry enterprises focused on strengthening their core capabilities and actively promoted reform and innovation, achieving an overall stable development trend. Looking ahead to 2026, the industry faces multiple challenges such as continued capacity expansion, a shortage of high-quality titanium ore raw materials, and trade frictions, but it also welcomes new opportunities brought by the new energy sector under the "dual carbon" strategy.

As the opening year of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, new quality productive forces have become the core engine driving industrial upgrading. As a key pillar in the field of advanced new materials, the titanium and zirconium industrial chain is deeply integrating into strategic sectors such as new energy, aerospace, high-end manufacturing, and nuclear power. In his report titled An Interpretation of the Titanium-Zircon Industrial Chain and Downstream Applications in the 15th Five-Year Plan for New Productivity, Li Zhen, Foreign Trade Business Manager of Guangzhou Chemical Import & Export Co., Ltd., proposed that competition in the titanium and zirconium industry during the 15th Five-Year Plan period will fully shift from "scale and capacity competition" to "high-quality competition across the entire industrial chain." What matters in the future is the ability to coordinate the industrial chain—whoever can integrate resources, smelting, and applications, and whoever can quickly respond to new downstream demands, will seize the initiative.

According to the report titled High-Quality Development of the Titanium Metal Industry Amid the Transition Between Old and New Growth Drivers delivered by Lan Guangming, Senior Technical Expert, Sichuan Vanadium Titanium New Materials Innovation Center, China's titanium material consumption structure in 2025 has shifted from being dominated by the chemical industry to being driven by multiple factors, with aerospace, medical, and new energy becoming core growth poles, and the proportion of consumption in high-end fields exceeding 40%. He emphasized that the industry needs to accelerate technological innovation and industrial integration, forging a development path characterized by high-end, green, and intelligent transformation.

As the global "dual carbon" goals continue to advance, emerging sectors such as solid-state batteries, nuclear power, and energy storage are experiencing explosive growth in demand for high-performance zirconium-based materials. In his report titled "Applications and Demand Breakthroughs of Zirconium Materials in the New Energy Sector," Liu Wenjun, Sales Director, GUANGDONG ORIENT ZIRCONIC IND SCI&TECH CO.,LTD, forecasted that domestic demand for nuclear-grade zirconium will exceed 6,500 tons in 2026, representing a year-on-year increase of nearly 20%; newly added global demand for zirconium oxide for solid-state batteries will surpass 7,400 tons, while the domestic supply gap for high-end capacity exceeds 50%. By 2030, global demand for zirconium oxide in the field of solid-state electrolytes alone will reach 78,000 tons, with the supply-demand gap continuing to widen.

The global distribution of titanium ore resources is highly concentrated, and factors such as international geopolitical fluctuations and adjustments in the import ore supply pattern are profoundly reshaping the supply chain landscape. In his report titled Analysis and Price Outlook of Domestic and International Titanium Ore Supply Chain Structure, Yang Baoxiang, Secretary-General of Panzhihua Vanadium Titanium Industry Association, pointed out that the titanium export market will continue to face pressure in 2026, but China's titanium dioxide, by virtue of its strong cost advantages, will maintain its core competitiveness in the global market.

In his presentation titled Development and Prospect of High Titanium Slag Industry in 2026, Zhang Jingzhi, Deputy General Manager of Inner Mongolia Yuxiao Mengda Titanium Industry Co., Ltd., stated that the industry should resolutely reject disorderly involution, abandon vicious price wars, strengthen close communication between upstream and downstream, establish long-term collaborative mechanisms, and pursue collective development for mutual benefit and shared prosperity.

In his report titled Comprehensive Review and Trend Analysis of Titanium & Zirconium Product Cycle, Hou Weijie, Senior Analyst of FerroAlloyNet, reviewed the price trends of titanium and zirconium products from 2020 to 2025, pointing out that the supply-demand imbalance, international situations, and rapid industry expansion were the main reasons for the continued downward trend in prices. He predicted that high-end sectors will become the focal point of future competition, with technology and product quality serving as core competitiveness. As the industry continues to undergo consolidation, only those who keep pace with the times, persist in innovation, and maintain stable upstream and downstream relationships will be able to survive and thrive.