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Chinese company Guangdong Hengtai New Materials has registered the first phase of an integrated titanium materials project in Maoming, Guangdong Province, with a planned investment of RMB3.837 billion (about US$576 million). According to Guandian, which based its report on Guangdong’s investment project records, the company submitted the filing on October 16, 2026, and it was reviewed and cleared that day.
The first phase includes a line to produce 25,000 tonnes of titanium sponge per year, alongside a second line for 100,000 tonnes per year of titanium dioxide made through the chloride process. The sponge line is the part most relevant to additive manufacturing (AM), since titanium sponge sits at the start of the supply chain that eventually feeds titanium powder production.
Production Lines and Supporting Infrastructure
The project is planned for the western section of the Maoming High-tech Zone. Beyond the two main production lines, the record lists several auxiliary units: a magnesium electrolysis plant, a titanium sponge block shearing unit, an air separation unit, a demineralized water system, a refrigeration station, and a circulating water station.
The planned buildings cover 181,273 square meters of floor space on a site of about 485,799 square meters. The record lists March 1, 2027, under the project’s timeline, and the report does not state a completion or commissioning date.
Where the Project Sits in the Titanium Supply Chain
Titanium sponge is an upstream raw material for wrought titanium and titanium alloy production, and part of that downstream material can eventually be processed into powder for metal AM. The Guangdong Hengtai project itself is not a powder facility, and the filing does not mention supplying the AM sector.
The cleared filing also reflects an investment plan at an administrative stage. It does not indicate that manufacturing capacity has been built or brought into operation.
Other Investments in Upstream Titanium Production
Guangdong Hengtai’s plan centers on adding primary titanium metal capacity at the sponge stage, combining sponge and titanium dioxide output in one integrated project. It lands in a market where China already accounts for around 70% of global titanium sponge output, a share that grew after Russian supply to Western aerospace manufacturers was cut off following 2022.
In Europe, UK powder manufacturer Metalysis received nearly €1 million from the European Space Agency for a 24-month project to move its Fray, Farthing, and Chen (FFC) Cambridge electrolysis process from batch to continuous or quasi-continuous titanium production. The project was framed around securing Western titanium supply after Russian sponge was effectively closed off. The FFC method reduces titanium oxide electrochemically and can use titanium dioxide in place of titanium sponge.
In the United States, IperionX secured a contract worth up to US$47.1 million from the US Department of Defense to build an integrated domestic titanium supply chain running from mineral extraction to metal production, split between its Titan Critical Minerals Project in Tennessee and its Titanium Manufacturing Campus in Virginia. The funding backs IperionX’s proprietary HAMR and HSPT titanium production technologies, and the company describes the award as part of its mission to re-shore the US titanium industry. Like Guangdong Hengtai’s filing, it represents planned investment in new titanium production capacity.
Each of these projects sits several steps before powder atomization, yet they shape how much titanium metal reaches AM feedstock producers and where it comes from.
Project Overview
| Item | Detail |
| Company | Guangdong Hengtai New Materials |
| Location | Western section, Maoming High-tech Zone, Guangdong |
| Total investment (Phase 1) | RMB3.837 billion (about US$576 million) |
| Titanium sponge capacity | 25,000 tonnes per year |
| Chloride-process titanium dioxide capacity | 100,000 tonnes per year |
| Floor area | 181,273 m² |
| Site area | About 485,799 m² |
| Filing status | Completed (cleared), October 16, 2026 |
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