retains a strong market position, with worldwide sales of 1.43 M tonnes. Current prices are quoted as $120 per tonne for 200-mesh, paint-grade talc and $87 per s.ton for good quality ceramic-grade talc.
Industrial Minerals, Jan 2004, (436), 52
Low-cost Asian suppliers in US organic pigment markets US domestic organic pigment suppliers say they are seeing intense competition from cheap imports from India, China and elsewhere in Asia. These suppliers are also keen to build up sales in Latin America. Faced with competition in their home market, US pigment manufacturers are either trying to undercut the lower-priced imports, or they are establishing manufacturing positions in China or in other parts of Asia.
Once a high-profit sector, organic pigments in the US market have now become more like commodities. US prices for most organic pigments have fallen to less than half their former value in the last ten years.
However, data from China indicates that growth in the country's imports of organic pigments is easily outpacing growth in exports. Compared against 1H 2002, China's imports of organic pigments increased by 11.5% to 16,933 tonnes in 1H 2003 (valued at $74.405 M) while China's exports of organic pigments increased by only 3.1% to 42,001 tonnes (worth $171.07 M).