A critical mineral used in flame retardants, ammunition and increasingly in liquid-metal grid batteries.
A critical mineral (Sb, atomic number 51) used in flame retardants, batteries, semiconductors, and ammunition. China dominates global antimony supply (>80%), raising supply chain security concerns. Antimony is often recovered as a by-product of gold mining.
Supply is highly concentrated and Western production is minimal, which put antimony on defence-critical lists and drove a sharp price move. Very few deposits are primary antimony rather than a gold by-product.