Material Insights · Understanding the Material World

Aerospace and defence and Titanium

Titanium is above all an aerospace metal: most titanium metal used in the US goes into aerospace, and it is about 15% of a Boeing 787's structure, yet sponge supply is concentrated in China, Japan, Russia and Kazakhstan, and the 2022 break with Russia showed how exposed airframers are.

Aerospace and defence (industry) and Titanium (commodity): 4 relationships.

How they are linked

1. Industry input

Physical flow · Strong · Titanium to aerospace and defence

Titanium is strong for its weight, tolerates heat and resists corrosion, so it goes into engine fans and compressors, airframe structures, fittings and submarine parts; seven aerospace enterprise types depend on it.

  • 7 aerospace enterprise types that depend on titanium
  • 5 of 5 criticality for alloy suppliers, engine makers and airframers
  • 15% titanium share of Boeing 787 structural weight

USGS reports that most titanium metal used in the US in 2025 went into aerospace. Composite-heavy airframes raise titanium use: the 787 uses more titanium (15%) than aluminium (12%).

Enterprise types that depend on it:

  • Specialty alloy, casting and forging suppliers: airframe and engine alloys (criticality 5 of 5)
  • Aero-engine makers: fan and compressor (criticality 5 of 5)
  • Commercial airframers: structures (criticality 5 of 5)
  • Defence prime contractors and shipyards: airframes and submarine parts (criticality 4 of 5)
  • Satellite and launch companies: structures (criticality 4 of 5)
  • Aerostructure and subsystem suppliers: fittings (criticality 3 of 5)
  • Maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) providers: repairs (criticality 3 of 5)

Sources: Material Insights; USGS; CompositesWorld

2. Concentrated sponge supply

Shared risk · Strong · A few countries make titanium sponge

All titanium metal starts as sponge, and only a few countries make it at scale, so supply is concentrated.

  • about 70% China's share of world sponge output, 2025 (260,000 of 370,000 t)
  • 53,000 t Japan's sponge output, 2025
  • 100% US import reliance for titanium sponge, 2025

The last US sponge plant closed in 2024, leaving US users fully import-dependent; Japan supplied 77% of US sponge imports in 2021 to 2024, Saudi Arabia 13% and Kazakhstan 8%. Aerospace buyers need certified grades, so usable supply is narrower than world tonnage suggests.

Sources: USGS

3. Russian supply exposure

Shared risk · Medium · Airframers cut reliance on Russian titanium

Russia's VSMPO-AVISMA was a leading supplier of aerospace titanium, so the 2022 invasion of Ukraine forced airframers to rethink sourcing.

  • about one third of Boeing's titanium needs met by VSMPO-AVISMA before 2022
  • about half of Airbus's titanium needs reliant on Russia, 2022
  • 25,000 t Russia's sponge output, 2025, down from 33,000 t in 2024

Boeing suspended Russian titanium purchases in March 2022, while Airbus kept buying, directly and through tier-one suppliers. A consultant estimate cited by Leeham put VSMPO at 35% of Boeing's, 65% of Airbus's and 100% of Embraer's titanium.

Sources: USGS; Malay Mail (Reuters); Leeham News

4. India's sponge gap

Policy · High in India · Indian defence needs exceed domestic sponge output

India has one aerospace-grade sponge plant, and its output is tiny against world supply, so fighter, engine and submarine programmes need more domestic capacity or imported metal.

  • 500 t a year capacity of India's only sponge plant, KMML Chavara
  • 300 t India's sponge output, 2025, under 0.1% of world output

The plant, built with DMRL technology and funded by ISRO's VSSC, opened in 2011 and is certified for aero and naval use, making India the seventh country producing aeronautical grade sponge. KMML reports work to raise capacity from 500 to 1,000 t a year for defence needs, and a 10,000 t a year plant is under consideration.

Sources: USGS; DRDO; Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd (KMML)

For investors

Key learnings

  1. Composite airframes raise titanium demand: the 787 uses 15% titanium against 12% aluminium.
  2. Sponge is concentrated, with China about 70% of 2025 output, so certified aerospace capacity rather than total tonnage limits supply.
  3. Russian titanium once met about a third of Boeing's and half of Airbus's needs; US sponge imports in 2021 to 2024 came mainly from Japan, with Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan.

What to track

  • Titanium sponge import prices: Rising unit values signal tight aerospace supply (Monthly · trade data; yearly · USGS)
  • Airbus and Boeing production rates: Drive titanium mill product demand (Monthly · delivery data)
  • Sanctions on Russian metals: Could cut remaining Russian flows (As announced · EU and US)

For policymakers

Key learnings

  1. India's single 500 t a year sponge plant made about 300 t in 2025, so defence programmes depend on its expansion and on imported titanium.
  2. Raising KMML's capacity to 1,000 t a year, a possible 10,000 t plant and qualifying more alloy sources are direct self-reliance levers.
  3. The closure of the last US sponge plant in 2024 shows that sponge making is hard to sustain without assured demand.

What to track

  • KMML sponge output and expansion: Shows growth in domestic aerospace-grade supply (Yearly · KMML and Ministry of Mines)
  • Titanium sponge and alloy imports by source: Shows which countries India's titanium users rely on (Monthly · Ministry of Commerce trade data)

India

India's only titanium sponge plant, at KMML Chavara with DMRL technology and ISRO funding, has 500 t a year of capacity and produced about 300 t in 2025; KMML is working to double capacity for defence needs.

Sources

  1. Aerospace and defence: materials, Material Insights (2026)
  2. Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Titanium and titanium dioxide, USGS (2026)
  3. Boeing suspends Russian titanium as Airbus keeps buying, Malay Mail (Reuters) (2022)
  4. Putin can shut down commercial aviation, consultant warned, Leeham News (2022)
  5. Boeing sets pace for composite usage in large civil aircraft, CompositesWorld
  6. Indigenous production of titanium sponge, DRDO
  7. Titanium sponge plant, Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd (KMML)