A mineral exploration company headquartered in the UK has confirmed what it says is the world’s largest titanium resource at a project in Western Australia’s (WA) Mid West, following a substantial upgrade to its estimate of the deposit’s size.
Empire Metals said its Pitfield project, near Three Springs, now has an estimated mineral resource of 8.16 billion tonnes grading 4.3 percent titanium dioxide, equivalent to 349 million tonnes of contained material.
The upgraded estimate, prepared under the JORC 2012 industry code, covers two deposits at the site, Thomas and Cosgrove, and is reported on the basis of the whole project rather than Empire’s 70 percent stake in it.
The code is the Australasian professional standard that sets minimum rules for publicly reporting mineral exploration results, mineral resources, and ore reserves and is mandated by the Australian and New Zealand stock exchanges.
Titanium dioxide is a key material in the production of titanium metal and pigments for a range of products. It is used in aerospace components, defence equipment and medical devices, as well as paints and other manufactured goods, and is among the minerals the Australian government has designated critical to the economy and national security.
Alongside the increase in overall tonnage, Empire reported its first “measured” resource at Pitfield—the highest geological confidence category under mining industry reporting rules—of 374 million tonnes at a grade of 5.8 percent.
Combined with resources in the next tier down, known as “indicated,” the company said almost 4 billion tonnes, or roughly half the total resource, now sits in these higher-confidence categories, up from a smaller base previously.
Shaun Bunn, Empire’s managing director, said the upgrade was a “landmark moment” for the company and moved the project beyond an exploration story, providing grounds to proceed with mine planning and economic studies.
He said a processing method capable of producing titanium dioxide of more than 99 percent purity had already been demonstrated, and that further work would focus on refining that process and converting more of the resource to the “measured” category.
A notable feature of the deposit, according to the company, is a weathered zone extending from the surface to a depth of roughly 30 to 50 metres, containing an estimated 4.39 billion tonnes at 4.4 percent titanium dioxide.
Because this material lies at or near the surface with little waste rock to remove, it is expected to be a focus of any future mine design. Within that zone, sections averaging more than 6 percent titanium dioxide extend for five kilometres at Thomas and more than four kilometres at Cosgrove.
Pitfield sits within reach of existing road, rail, port and power infrastructure, being 156 kilometres from Geraldton and 313 kilometres north of Perth.
Empire said it is progressing plans for a dual listing on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) in the second half of 2026.
The company said it intended to carry out further drilling at Pitfield to determine ore purity, along with bulk sampling and continued processing trials, ahead of a further resource update targeted for mid-2027.
Empire’s updates came after critical minerals miner Iluka Resources announced last year that it would eventually halt production at its Cataby mine in WA, which produces titanium-bearing mineral sands, in response to falling global demand and China’s dumping practice.
The decision came just two months before Australia and the United States agreed to a US$3 billion investment in critical minerals.
