UK Proposes Duties Up to 63.66% on Chinese Rutile TiO2
The UK Trade Remedies Authority has proposed new anti-dumping measures covering imports of rutile titanium dioxide from China after finding that the material was being dumped in the UK and posed an imminent threat of injury to domestic producers.
Rutile TiO2 is widely used in coatings to provide brightness, opacity and durability. The TRA’s initial recommendation calls for a mixed anti-dumping duty lasting five years.
Under the proposal, cooperating sampled and nonsampled exporters would be subject to a 48.29% ad valorem duty, with a minimum duty of £0.665 per kilogram. Other overseas exporters would be subject to a 63.66% duty, with a minimum of £0.876 per kilogram.
Because the proposed measure combines percentage-based and specific duties, the charge producing the greater tariff amount would apply.
The TRA reported that UK imports of Chinese TiO2 in May 2026 were more than 299% of the volume imported in May 2025. The authority attributed the increase partly to expanded Chinese production capacity and to trade measures already imposed by the European Union, Brazil, India and Saudi Arabia, which have made unprotected export markets such as the UK more attractive.
The agency said the domestic TiO2 industry employs more than 570 people and supplies hundreds of downstream businesses. Its investigation covered Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2025.
The recommendation is preliminary. Interested parties have until Oct. 26 to comment through the TRA’s Trade Remedies Service. The authority will then submit a final recommendation to the UK secretary of state responsible for business and trade.
Titanium dioxide is one of the coatings industry’s most important and costly pigments. New duties could change landed costs, supplier selection and purchasing strategies for UK coatings manufacturers while also influencing the movement of Chinese pigment into other regional markets.
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