Current North American TiO2 prices are $1.80-1.94/lb, as assessed by ICIS.
Buyers said they were frustrated but not surprised.
"I am hearing a possibility of another 30% in price increases next year," a coatings maker said. But he and other buyers said they would resist the increase as strongly as possible.
Kronos announced in September its intent to implement a 25 cent/lb increase effective on 1 October, but buyers likewise vowed to fight the effort.
"White business is still soft," a compounder said, "and TiO2 sales are just as soft. Customers are hoarding TiO2, awaiting another shortage in the marketplace. But you can only sit on so much inventory before you run into cash-flow problems."
Producers did back off of recent initiatives for October implementation by 10 cents/lb, generally conceding softer market conditions, but a producer said that it would continue to negotiate to achieve that remaining portion in the near term.
If the newest initiatives succeed, the Kronos hike would take place on 1 January, in accordance with the market's typical 90-day lag. Likewise, DuPont's increase would take place on 1 February.
For all the supply-side rationale, the ongoing increases will have a chilling effect on the marketplace, a buyer said.
"Who knows where this will end? Painting will not be a cheap way of fixing up your house in the near future," he said. "That in itself will drive people away.
"Maybe that will lower [demand] and cause the price to go down," he added. "Maybe it will be too late then."
Other North American TiO2 producers include Cristal, Huntsman, and Tronox.
($1 = €0.72)
