Mining stocks enjoyed major tailwinds in 2025, a consequence of record years for gold and silver, a near-record year for palladium, and increasing demand for lithium.
But as much as gold and silver miners rewarded shareholders with alluring gains this year, it was a lesser-known commodity—and one company that mines it—that took the spotlight.
As demand for lithium-ion batteries increases alongside rising EV adoption, ubiquitous consumer electronics, AI-driven data center storage needs, and industrial applications in aerospace, graphite is returning to center stage.
Titan Mining (TSE: TI), a $250 million small-cap, natural resources mining company based in Canada, saw its shares surge over 1,000% in 2025.
And despite not yet having revenue tied to graphite, the company is eyeing a commercial-scale facility that can supply up to 40,000 tonnes—or more than 88 million pounds—per year by 2028.
Graphite’s Central Role in Lithium-Ion Batteries
Known for its electrical and thermal conductivity as well as superior heat resistance, graphite—a soft, black, crystalline form of carbon—is found in everything from EV batteries and brake pads to fuel cells and semiconductors.
Importantly, though, its role in the EV supply chain is a critical one. When most people think of lithium-ion batteries, they think of their namesake metal, lithium. But graphite is equally integral.
Its naturally hexagonal-layered structure permits lithium ions to be easily inserted and extracted during charging and discharging cycles, thereby enabling efficient energy storage and release. Additionally, graphite is chemically stable, which helps prevent unwanted reactions in processes involving it.
However, perhaps chief of all its features is that graphite’s low price point serves as a driver of its demand in those aforementioned applications: As of December 2025, the naturally occurring mineral goes for around $328 to $363 per tonne, while artificial graphite can range from $3,791 to $4,534 per tonne.
That is where Titan Mining comes in.
A Major Tailwind for Titan Mining
According to a Titan Mining December 2025 investor presentation, the United States currently depends 100% on imports to source its graphite. Of that, more than 40% is sourced from China.
That is largely the result of operations being offshored during the 1950s, when it was decided that importing the inexpensive mineral was more economical than funding domestic mining operations to extract it.
As a result, the United States has not had a graphite-producing mine since. But with surging demand for lithium ion batteries, that position is being revisited to the benefit of Titan Mining and other companies, which are eyeing U.S. commercial production for the first time in 70 years.
On Dec. 26, the Associated Press reported that Titan Mining has extracted a limited amount of ore from a New York deposit about 25 miles from the Canadian border, with plans for commercial production within two years. The company’s officials believe “the geopolitical winds are at their backs to sell graphite concentrate for high-tech, industrial and military uses…including heat-resistant coatings in factories, anodes in large lithium-ion batteries connected to electrical grids and lubricants for military vehicles.”
Titan Mining is expected to begin qualification sales of graphite to U.S.-based defense and industrial customers in early 2026, following the commencement of graphite processing at its facility in December 2025.
By 2028, the company is targeting the completion of a commercial-scale facility capable of producing 40,000 tonnes per year, which would satisfy a significant portion of the United States’ natural flake graphite demand.
Commercial Sales Could Accelerate Titan Mining’s Earnings
According to industry consultancy firm Grand View Research, the U.S. graphite market is forecast to grow from $2.1 billion in 2025 to $3.4 billion in 2033. One part of that is Titan Mining’s forthcoming Kilbourne Project.
In its December 2025 investor presentation, the company detailed how the project would see a forecasted post-tax payback period of 2.7 years, alongside eye-catching 58% to 69% blended margins, thereby making it the “least capital-intensive graphite project in the [United States].”
Titan Mining estimates that the initial capex for the project would be $156 million, but the estimated average earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) would be $138 million annually.
That would go a long way in increasing the company’s modest market cap of C$389.75 million (approximately $284.80). But with a current price-to-earnings ratio of 31.56 and a low volatility beta of negative 0.95, the stock is already attractive despite its enormous 1200%+ gain this year (as of Dec. 30 close).
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