Best Titanium ETFs for 2026 and How to Invest

Although its presence may not be as obvious as silver and gold, titanium is a metal found everywhere these days. The airplanes soaring overhead, sunscreen protecting your face, and painted walls in your home all rely on titanium.

When used as an alloy with other metals, titanium is often found in aerospace and industrial applications, to name a few. When used as a compound, titanium dioxide is found in a wide range of products, including cosmetics, food, and paper. Revered for its strength and white pigment, titanium is valued across many industries, and demand for the metal is expected to rise.

But finding a single piece of titanium stock can be challenging. Luckily, there are exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that offer exposure to titanium. Although these ETFs aren’t solely focused on titanium, they do offer broad exposure to metals in a portfolio, among other benefits.

Because titanium is used as an alloying element in steel production, the VanEck Steel ETF, which provides exposure to companies operating in various stages of the steel production cycle, is a great choice for investors who want to strengthen their portfolios with titanium but also hope to mitigate the risk of a downturn in the titanium market.

Titanium exposure in the ETF primarily comes from its position in Rio Tinto — the ETF’s largest holding. Rio Tinto’s stocks that trade on the New York Stock Exchange and the Australian Stock Exchange, combined, have a weighting of more than 14% in the fund. Tracing its history back 150 years, Rio Tinto has emerged as one of the largest (by market capitalization) materials stocks available to investors.

Rio Tinto conducts titanium dioxide mining operations at three assets located in Madagascar, Canada, and South Africa. In 2025, Rio Tinto reported titanium dioxide production of 0.98 million metric tons.

In addition to mining stocks like Rio Tinto, the VanEck Steel ETF also holds other mining companies, such as BHP Group and Vale SA, which diversify investors’ exposure to other materials. The ETF provides distributions annually and has a moderate net expense ratio of 0.55%. As of early May 2026, the VanEck Steel ETF offered a 30-day SEC yield of more than 2.6%.

Eschewing the luster that gold and silver stocks afford, the iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF is focused instead on diversified metals stocks.

Like the First Trust Indxx Global Natural Resources Income ETF, Rio Tinto is a major holding in the iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF. Rio Tinto has adopted a dual-listing structure, and the ETF holds positions in two of its securities, resulting in a weighting of about 9.9% for Rio Tinto.

Providing distributions semi-annually, the iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF has a reasonable expense ratio of 0.39%. With 245 holdings, iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF should appeal to conservative investors who seek exposure to metals stocks but who are wary of any one company’s lackluster performance jeopardizing the ETF’s success.

With its 44 holdings, the iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF provides a route for titanium exposure through the fund’s holdings in aerospace and defense stocks. The ETF focuses on the stocks that comprise the Dow Jones U.S. Select Aerospace & Defense Index. Consequently, the ETF has exposure to leading defense contractors and companies that provide essential parts for aerospace and defense applications — such as titanium.

ATI (ATI +0.73%) and Carpenter Technology (CRS +3.93%), manufacturers of high-performance parts for aerospace applications, provide investors with exposure to titanium through the ETF. Both companies have weightings of about 1.8% in the ETF.

Investors interested in titanium and hankering for defense stocks should pay close attention to the iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF. The top three weighted holdings in the fund are aerospace and defense stalwarts: GE Aerospace, RTX, and Boeing.

The iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF has a modest expense ratio of 0.38% and pays quarterly distributions to investors.

4. VanEck Rare Earth/Strategic Metals ETF

As enthusiasm for the electric vehicle (EV) industry continues to accelerate, interest in rare-earth metals has soared. Similarly, interest in strategic metals is on the rise as the United States seeks to shore up its supply chain, ensuring it has an adequate supply of metals — such as titanium — that are critical to various industries. For investors who recognize these concerns, the VanEck Rare Earth/Strategic Metals ETF is a compelling choice.

In addition to numerous lithium stocks, the ETF includes rare-earth mining specialist MP Materials among its holdings. Distinguishing itself as the only integrated rare-earth mining and processing site in North America, MP Materials is based in California and provides the United States with an avenue to shore up its supply of rare-earth metals.

The ETF’s titanium holdings are in Tronox and Iluka Resources. A vertically integrated titanium dioxide business, Tronox produces the feedstock for its titanium dioxide at six assets located in Australia and South Africa, and it produces titanium dioxide pigment at nine facilities.

Iluka is a leading producer of titanium dioxide and plans to expand into the refining of rare-earth metals. The ETF has a position in the shares of Iluka that trade on the Australian Stock Exchange.

The VanEck Rare Earth/Strategic Metals ETF rebalances its holdings quarterly, and it has a 0.53% expense ratio. Distributions are made annually.

Scott Levine has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.