Titanium dioxide is used widely as a white pigment in liquid paints, varnishes, lacquers, floor coverings (linoleum), printing inks, coatings for paper and paperboard, plastics and elastomers, and in the rubber and leather industries; as a pigment and filler for paper; as an opacifying agent for coloured systems; and as a delusterant for a number of synthetic fibres. Electrically conducting titanium dioxide pigments are applied to fibres used in photosensitive papers for electrophotography and for the production of antistatic plastics.

The most important applications for non-pigmentary titanium dioxide are the preparation of vitreous (porcelain) enamels for coating glass, glass ceramics, aluminum, steel, cast iron, and other materials; the production of components for electronic equipment; electroceramics (such as the manufacture of miniature ceramic capacitors, PTC resistors, and piezoelectric materials); electrical conductors, varistors and electrical circuit elements; the production of various specialized titanium compounds, including titanium carbide and various titanates; as a chemical intermediate for titanium metal and titanium alloys; as a catalyst for the removal of nitrogen oxides from waste gases from power stations and industry and for reducing the nitrogen oxide content of exhaust gases; as an ultraviolet absorber in sunscreen products; for soaps, cosmetic powders, creams, toothpaste; in the formulation of topical and oral pharmaceuticals; as a colourant in foods; in welding fluxes; as a component of porcelain enamels and glazes, structural ceramics, and refractory coatings; and as a ceramic sensor for oxygen in automotive exhaust systems. Both anatase and rutile forms are used for welding-rod coatings.