Antimony
A brittle metalloid for flame retardants, lead-acid batteries and ammunition, whose price soared after China restricted exports in 2024.
Tech & minor metals · No. 36
- EU critical 2023
- US critical 2025
- India critical 2023
- HHI 2,129 · moderately concentrated
After China curbed exports in 2024, antimony's US price leapt from $5.49 to $25 a pound in two years.
Chart: Illustration: Antimony
Where it comes from
Chart: Map of where it comes from
Most antimony starts as stibnite, often in veins that also carry gold or tungsten. Ore is floated, then roasted or smelted. World Mining Data counted about 141,000 t in 2024.
Three things to know
- About 85% of antimony is a companion metal, recovered from gold or lead ores rather than from mines of its own.
- Metal products including flame retardants took 49% of US use in 2025, and antimonial lead and ammunition another 40%.
- The US listed antimony under its 1939 stockpiling law after Japan's war in China disrupted supply; today it imports 91% of its needs.
The journey
- 1 Stibnite oreAntimony sulphide veins, often with gold
- 2 FlotationOre upgraded to a concentrate
- 3 Roast or smeltTurned to trioxide or reduced to metal
- 4 Trioxide and ingotSold off agency price assessments
- 5 End usesFlame retardants, battery grids, bullets, glass