Titanium scrap shortage outweighs weak FeTi demand in aerospace slump

A deepening of the acute shortage of titanium scrap, added to the news this week of a slump in aerospace orders, should support and strengthen prices for both scrap and ferro-titanium in the coming months despite the potential consequences for alloy consumption, industry sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday February 24.

Prices in Europe's titanium scrap markets have been rallying for almost seven months, against a slump in aircraft production, which results in offcuts of scrap containing ferro-titanium.
There has been a similar surge in ferro-titanium prices, which were expected to climb more strongly in March after a slowdown in gains so far this year, with renewed consumer demand expected from steelmakers for second-quarter delivery settlements.
Worldwide, only four aircraft orders were placed in January 2021, making it the worst January on record for orders, and showing the persistently suppressed demand for aircraft resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic and international travel restrictions, according to UK trade body ADS.

Moreover, the four orders that were placed were all for wide-body aircraft. This meant that no single-aisle aircraft orders were placed in the first month of this year, for the first January on record. This contrasted with January 2020, when single-aisle aircraft...

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