Pitfield project — one of the highest-grade titanium discoveries in the world
Empire Metals is accelerating the economic development of its flagship Pitfield project — one of the largest known and highest-grade titanium discoveries in the world — extending over 40km x 8km x 5km deep.
In 2023–2024, Empire Metals announced that drilling at Pitfield outlined an enormous titanium mineral system across a broad area. The company reported a Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) totalling 2.2 billion tonnes grading 5.1% TiO₂ for 113 million tonnes of contained TiO₂. For context, most existing ilmenite mines are on the order of tens of millions of tonnes of ore. Titanium mineralization at Pitfield occurs from surface and displays exceptional grade continuity along strike and down dip. The MRE extends across just 20% of the known mineralized footprint, providing substantial potential for further resource expansion.
The titanium at Pitfield is in the form of disseminated high-grade anatase (known for its very high TiO₂ content and bright whiteness, making it particularly attractive for premium pigment, coatings, and advanced industrial applications) and rutile in near-surface saprolite (weathered rock) . Empire achieved up to 99.25% TiO₂ purity product in laboratory tests from this material, indicating it can produce a high-grade product suitable for pigment or even titanium metal feed.
Importantly, the project is located in Australia’s mid-West, a Tier One mining jurisdiction with direct access to critical infrastructure:
- existing road/rail network
- proximity to Geraldton Port (150km)
- low-energy processing advantages from weathered cap mineralization (30–40m depth)
Empire is focused on accelerating the economic development of Pitfield, with a vision to produce a high-value titanium metal or pigment quality product at Pitfield, to realise the full value potential of this exceptional deposit — and potentially shift market dynamics in the 2030s.
All these efforts will take time to bear fruit. But by the 2030s, we could see a patchwork of revived capabilities: perhaps a small titanium sponge facility in the U.S. (even if just pilot scale for defense needs), more heavy mineral mines in allied countries, and closer integration between allies (like Japan-U.S. tech sharing for efficient processing). The ultimate goal is not necessarily to displace China’s industry, which would be unrealistic, but to have enough independent capacity and reserve stock to not be beholden to China in a crisis. Titanium’s strategic importance (for fighter jets, missiles, satellites, naval vessels, EV components, and more) means that dependency is a security liability.
