Choosing a titanium dioxide grade is not simply a matter of picking the highest TiO₂ content or the lowest price. The right grade is the one that fits your application, your process and your performance target. Two rutile pigments with similar purity can behave very differently on a production line if their surface treatments, particle sizes or dispersibility differ.
Start with the application
The first filter is always application. Paint and coatings formulators usually need high opacity, gloss development and exterior durability. Plastics and masterbatch producers need dispersibility, heat stability, low filter pressure value and high tinting strength. Those priorities drive which specifications you should weight most heavily.
Paints and coatings
For architectural, industrial, automotive and powder coatings, look for grades with strong whiteness and gloss, good scattering power, and a durable inorganic coating. Sulfate-process grades are widely used for general-purpose and decorative systems; chloride-process grades are often chosen when tighter particle-size control, higher gloss or superior durability are required.
- R-5566 — sulfate process, Interior and exterior paint, Emulsion paint, Powder coating
- R-244 — sulfate process, Architectural and industrial coatings, Printing inks, Paper
- R-298 — sulfate process, Furniture paint, Automotive repair paint, Printing inks
- CR-350 — chloride process, High-end decorative paint, Automotive paint, Industrial paint
- TYR-588 — chloride process, Building coatings — indoor and outdoor, gloss and semi-gloss, Automotive OEM and refinishing paint, coil coating, Industrial anti-corrosive, decorative and powder coatings
Plastics and masterbatch
In masterbatch, film, fibre and engineering plastics, the pigment must run cleanly through screens and dies without pushing up filter pressure or yellowing at processing temperature. Grades with a high colour black undertone (CBU) deliver more colouring power per kilo, while tight particle-size control improves dispersion.
- R-268 — sulfate process, PVC, ABS and PS masterbatch, PVC pipe compounds
- CR-340 — chloride process, High-concentration masterbatch, High-quality films, Silk and wire plastics
- R-249 — sulfate process, High-concentration masterbatch, High-temperature resistant plastics, Films and spinning (fibre) plastics
- TYR-568 — chloride process, Engineering plastics such as PVC, PE, PP and ABS, PS and its copolymers, Plastics, masterbatch and film blowing
Read the datasheet, not just the headline
A useful datasheet comparison focuses on a handful of figures that directly affect your process:
- TiO₂ content
- The active pigment fraction. Higher is usually better, but only if the surface treatment matches your system.
- Rutile content
- Durability and opacity rise with rutile crystal share. Most performance grades are ≥ 97 %.
- Oil absorption
- Lower values let you load more pigment before viscosity becomes a problem — important in high-solids coatings and concentrated masterbatch.
- Dispersibility / Hegman value
- A higher Hegman value means the pigment breaks down faster and finer, reducing mill time and improving finish.
- CBU (for plastics)
- Colour black undertone indicates tinting strength. A higher CBU means more colouring power per kilogram of pigment.
- Surface treatment
- Alumina/zirconia inorganic coatings improve weathering; organic treatments improve wetting and dispersion. This is often the decisive difference between two grades.
Sulfate or chloride?
Both processes produce rutile TiO₂. Sulfate-process pigments are typically cost-efficient and versatile, suiting a broad range of coatings, inks and paper. Chloride-process pigments offer tighter particle-size distribution and are often preferred for premium coatings, automotive finishes and demanding plastics applications. Process is a useful starting filter, but the final decision should rest on the published specifications and a trial in your own formulation.
A simple selection checklist
- Confirm the application: paint/coatings or plastics/masterbatch?
- Identify the critical performance: opacity, gloss, durability, dispersibility or heat stability?
- Compare TiO₂ content, rutile content, oil absorption and dispersibility across datasheets.
- Check the surface treatment matches your binder or polymer system.
- Request a sample and run a small production trial before committing.
Need help choosing?
OxiWhite Global supplies nine certified rutile TiO₂ grades for paint, coatings, plastics and masterbatch. Our team can help you match the right grade to your process and arrange samples and quotations.