The titanium market - France

Titanium is the 9th most abundant element on Earth and ranks 4th in the list of metals after iron, aluminum and magnesium. The total global titanium market was valued at over US$20 billion in 2021, and is expected to continue growing over the next few years at a CAGR of 6.3%. The titanium market is divided in two: the titanium dioxide market on the one hand, and the "metallic" titanium market on the other. This study focuses on metallic titanium. The titanium dioxide market is the subject of another study. Metallic titanium is renowned for its mechanical and chemical properties, such as its low density lightness, ductility, corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. These qualities make this metal a material of choice for industry. The main customer sectors for titanium arecommercial aeronautics, industrial applications (chemicals, energy, etc.) and military applications. However, titanium is also used in more widely distributed consumer goods, such as prostheses, certain sporting goods and the automotive sector. Global titanium production is largely dominated by China. However, Chinese titanium is not of sufficient quality for the aerospace industry. Only Japanese, Russian and Kazak titanium is of sufficient quality for the aerospace industry. As France is not a titanium sponge producer, it imports far more titanium than it exports. The titanium used by French manufacturers comes mainly from China, Japan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. Nevertheless, France has a titanium manufacturing and processing sector that has been developing strongly in recent years, as evidenced by the launch of the Ecotitanium aerospace-grade titanium recycling plant in 2017. Other players in the French titanium industry include Aubert & Duval, Ukad and Framatone. In addition, the price of titanium, relatively stable in recent years, has surged sincethe start of the war in Ukraine, highlighting French industry's dependence on Russian titanium.