This note summarizes the 2017 U.S. Minerals Yearbook entry on antimony. It covers domestic production (primary & secondary), consumption patterns, price movements, foreign‑trade balances, and the global context, ending with an outlook through 2028. The data are drawn from the USGS yearbook tables and accompanying text.
Production on Antimony
- Domestic mining: No marketable antimony was mined in the United States in 2017; the Nevada stibnite mine (≈ 800 t extracted 2013‑14) was on care‑and‑maintenance status since 2015.
- Primary smelting: The only U.S. primary antimony smelter (U.S. Antimony Corp., Thompson Falls, MT) processed imported intermediate products and produced antimony metal and trioxide. 2017 sales were 858 t (602 t from U.S. operations, 256 t from Mexico), a 36 % drop from 2016.
- Secondary recovery: All secondary antimony came from 12 secondary lead smelters recycling lead‑acid battery scrap, bearing metal, and other antimonial lead. Production rose 15 % to 4,370 t in 2017.
- Key trend: Primary antimony metal production in the United States fell 7 % compared with 2016, while secondary output increased modestly.
Consumption on Antimony
- Total primary use: Reported primary antimony consumption was 7,780 t, down 7 % from 2016.
- Sector breakdown (U.S.)
- Flame retardants (antimony trioxide) – 36 %
- Non‑metal products (ceramics, glass, pigments) – 33 %
- Metal products (lead‑antimony alloys) – 31 %
- Secondary antimony: Recovered from recycled battery grids and used mainly in the manufacture of new lead‑acid batteries.
- End‑use note: Globally, flame retardants accounted for 48 %, lead‑acid batteries 33 %, and plastics 8 % of antimony demand in 2017 (Roskill, 2018).
Prices on Antimony
- The average Platts Metals Week New York dealer price rose to $3.98 per lb in 2017, a 19 % increase over 2016.
- The price rebound followed a 23 % decline in 2015 (the lowest since 2010) and was driven largely by Chinese anti‑pollution shutdowns that cut antimony output by ≈ 50 % in Q2 2017.
Antimony Foreign Trade
- Imports dominate: U.S. imports far exceeded exports.
- Antimony oxide (by antimony content) – 17,900 t (↑ 11 % vs 2016)
- Antimony metal, alloys, scrap – 6,830 t (↓ 4 % vs 2016)
- Key supplier: China supplied 53 % of metal imports and 64 % of oxide imports.
- Exports:
- Antimony oxide – 1,600 t (↑ 21 %);
- Antimony metal/alloys/scrap – 653 t (↑ 5 %).
- Main destinations: Mexico (≈ 50 % of metal exports) and Canada (≈ 25 %).
World Overview
| Country / Region | 2017 Mine Production (t) | Share of World Production |
|---|---|---|
| China | 98,000 | 71 % |
| Russia | 14,400 | 10 % |
| Tajikistan | 14,000 | 10 % |
| Others (incl. Australia, Bolivia, etc.) | ≈ 20,600 | 9 % |
| World Total | 137,000 | 100 % |
- Global mine production fell 11 % to 137 kt, down 29 % from the 2013 peak (≈ 193 kt). Declines were driven chiefly by reduced output in Burma and China.
- Global primary + secondary consumption was steady at ≈ 177 kt, with Asia accounting for > 59 % of non‑metallurgical use.
Outlook (2018‑2028)
- Demand growth: Expected to rise, especially for flame retardants, lead‑acid batteries, and plastics, with Asia projected to consume ~ 60 % of global antimony by 2020.
- Price pressure: The 2017 + 19 % price jump may stimulate reformulation of flame‑retardant formulations toward cheaper substitutes.
- Secondary supply limits: Battery‑derived antimony is capped by the modest antimony content of modern automotive batteries (max 0.6 %). Ongoing R&D on calcium‑, selenium‑, or tin‑based alloys could further reduce antimony demand in batteries.
- New projects: The Oman antimony roaster (26 kt/yr) and exploration/development projects in Australia, Bolivia, Canada, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey are poised to augment future supply.
Key Data Summary (US 2017)
| Metric | 2016 | 2017 | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary antimony production (t) | 664 r | 621 | – 7 % |
| Secondary antimony recovery (t) | 3,810 r | 4,370 | + 15 % |
| Primary antimony consumption (t) | 8,400 r | 7,780 | – 7 % |
| Total imports (t) | 24,500 ≈ | 24,700 | ≈ 0 % |
| Total exports (t) | 3,090 ≈ | 2,920 | – 5 % |
| Avg. price ($/lb) | 3.35 | 3.98 | + 19 % |
All numbers are metric tons of antimony content unless otherwise noted.
Take‑away for exam preparation
- The United States is essentially a consumer of antimony, with no domestic mining and a single primary smelter reliant on imports.
- Secondary recovery now supplies ~ 13 % of total U.S. antimony (4.4 kt / 33 kt total).
- Flame retardants remain the dominant end‑use both domestically (≈ 1/3 of primary consumption) and worldwide (≈ ½ of total use).
- China’s environmental policies are the primary driver of recent price spikes and can affect global supply security.
- Future demand is likely to keep rising, but the industry may shift toward alternative alloy chemistries and reformulated flame‑retardant systems as price pressures grow.