# Antimony: Criticality

Why defence planners have worried since 1939

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/antimony/criticality/

What this tab covers How exposed economies are to a supply disruption: the EU, US and India listings, the concentration score, and a quantified exposure for the US, EU, India, China, Japan, Latin America, the Middle East and Australia. Where the EU scored it, a chart of supply risk against economic importance, with import reliance, recycling input and substitutes.

#### Exposure by region

| Region | Exposure | Share of world output | Share of world imports | Share of world exports | Net trade (US$) | On own critical list | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **US** | High | 0.1% | 11.9% | 5.2% | −$78.3 m | Yes | 91% net import reliant with apparent consumption of 45,000 t in 2025, China supplying 55% of metal and oxide imports in 2021-24, and new mines in Idaho and Montana backed by defence funding (USGS 2026). |
| **EU** | High | 0.0% | 39.8% | 7.4% | −$294.7 m | Yes | Critical raw material with 100% import reliance at the mining stage and a 28% end-of-life recycling input rate; Turkey supplies 63% of EU sourcing (EU CRM 2023). |
| **India** | High | 0.0% | 3.7% | 6.6% | −$7.00 m | Yes | No mining but an active processor and trader (imports $29.8 million, exports $22.8 million in 2024, Comtrade); antimony is on India's 2023 critical list. |
| **China** | Low | 32.7% | 1.3% | 20.8% | +$61.5 m | Yes | Mined 40 kt (36% of world output) in 2025, holds the largest reserves (830 kt) and controls exports through licences and a US ban (USGS 2026). |
| **Japan** | High | 0.0% | 10.8% | 0.6% | −$84.9 m | Yes | No mining; imported 10.8% of world HS 8110 by value ($87 million) in 2024 for flame retardants and electronics (Comtrade). |
| **Latin America** | Low | 3.9% | 1.5% | 4.6% | +$3.68 m | no list | Bolivia (5,000 t; 310 kt reserves), Mexico (600 t) and Guatemala (50 t) mine antimony; Mexico supplied 86% of US ore imports in 2021-24 (USGS 2026). |
| **Middle East** | Low | 1.6% | 0.3% | 2.7% | +$6.93 m | no list | Turkey mined about 3,000 t in 2025 and is the EU's main supplier; Iran mines about 90 t (USGS 2026; EU CRM 2023). |
| **Australia** | Low | 0.9% | 0.1% | 0.0% | −$618k | Yes | Mined 1,300 t in 2025 from gold-antimony ores and holds 110 kt of reserves (11 kt JORC-compliant) (USGS 2026). |

 Exposure rating: **High** when the region is a net importer whose import share is at least three times its share of world output (or, for farm goods, it produces under 70% of what it consumes); **Medium** for other net importers (or 70-95% self-sufficiency), raised to High when world supply is highly concentrated in another country; **Low** for net exporters or self-sufficient regions. Net importer status uses tonnage where reported, otherwise value. Output: World Mining Data, 2024. Trade: UN Comtrade 2024 (EU = sum of member states, including intra-EU trade). Critical lists: US 2025, EU 2024/1252, India 2023, China 2016 strategic minerals, Japan METI, Australia 2024.

Antimony is critical for the EU, with supply risk 1.8 and economic importance 5.4, and is on the US 2025 and India 2023 lists. Defence drives much of the concern, since it hardens lead in ammunition. The US listed it under the 1939 stockpiling law after Japan's war in China disrupted supply (Scheyder, pdf p. 159). US net import reliance was 91% in 2025. Substitutes exist. Organic compounds and hydrated alumina replace it in flame retardants, and calcium, tin and others in battery alloys.
 EU 2023 Critical US 2025 list Yes India 2023 list Yes Production HHI 2,129 moderately concentrated

#### EU 2023 assessment

Chart: EU 2023 criticality: supply risk against economic importance
 Each dot is a material assessed by the EU in 2023. The shaded corner is the critical zone (supply risk ≥ 1.0, economic importance ≥ 2.8). Antimony: supply risk 1.8, economic importance 5.4. EU import reliance, extraction 100% EU import reliance, processing 47% EU recycling input rate 28% US net import reliance, 2025 91% share of apparent consumption

#### Substitutes

Organic compounds and hydrated aluminium oxide in flame retardants; chromium, tin, titanium, zinc and zirconium compounds in pigments; calcium, copper, selenium, sulphur and tin in battery alloys

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/antimony/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/antimony/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/antimony/correlation/index.md)
- [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/antimony/extraction/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/antimony/production/index.md)
- [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/antimony/stocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/antimony/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/antimony/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/antimony/movement/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/antimony/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/antimony/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/antimony/links/index.md)