Antimony
Used in flame retardants, lead-acid batteries, munitions and as a semiconductor dopant. China and Russia dominate supply.
Flame retardants in cables, plastics and server enclosures; lead-acid backup batteries; antimony dopants and infrared detectors.
China's 2024 export licensing remains in force; a ban on exports to the US is suspended only until Nov 27, 2026. IEA flags AI as raising antimony's importance.
Where it's produced
Share of 2025 world mine production (metric tons). Source: USGS MCS 2026.
Withheld by USGS to avoid disclosing company data: United States.
Where the reserves are
Share of known economic reserves (metric tons). World total: 2M t. ≈ 18 years at 2025 output.
Who calls it critical
Membership on each government list. “Strategic” marks a higher tier where the list has one; “group” means included as part of a group such as rare earths or PGMs.
Antimony: key questions
- Where is antimony mined or produced?
- According to USGS 2025 data, the largest producers are China (36%), Russia (29%) and Tajikistan (20%) of world mine production.
- Is antimony a critical mineral?
- Antimony appears on 9 of the 10 official lists we track (United States, European Union, United Kingdom, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, Canada).
- Is antimony in short supply?
- Our supply status: Tight / restricted. China's 2024 export licensing remains in force; a ban on exports to the US is suspended only until Nov 27, 2026. IEA flags AI as raising antimony's importance.
- Why does antimony matter for AI infrastructure?
- Flame retardants in cables, plastics and server enclosures; lead-acid backup batteries; antimony dopants and infrared detectors.
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