Antimony Price Today: Spot Rates, Controls & Outlook

The antimony price for China 99.65% Sb min antimony metal stands at $10,914.08 per tonne as of 3 August 2026, according to Shanghai Metals Market (SMM) benchmark data (SMM-SB-AI-002) — down sharply, approximately 31.5%, from $15,939.71/tonne in July. The European antimony price for equivalent material is $21,250 per tonne, down more modestly from $23,000/tonne. Because the China-domestic decline has outpaced Europe’s by such a wide margin, the proportional premium Europe commands over China has actually widened this cycle — to roughly 95%, up from 44% in July — even though both benchmarks are falling. This pattern is consistent with independent market reporting (Fastmarkets, IMARC and others) describing a sustained antimony price correction since the July 2025 peak, driven by adequate global supply and softer downstream demand, with the China-international gap expected to narrow over time as export licensing eases — a process this month’s data suggests is not yet visible in the price gap itself, even if it may be underway in trade volumes. For the broader monthly price context see our Critical Minerals Market June 2026 analysis.

Current Antimony Price — China, Europe and USA

The table below covers all major antimony benchmarks as reported by SMM. The divergence between Chinese domestic prices and Western assessments reflects the ongoing friction created by China’s export licensing controls, which require individual permits for each outbound shipment.

Antimony Metal — Standard Grade

High Purity Antimony (China domestic)

Last updated: 3 August 2026. All figures sourced from SMM. This month’s China-domestic decline is corroborated by independent market reporting (Fastmarkets, IMARC) describing a continued antimony correction from the July 2025 cycle peak, so it is not treated as a data anomaly despite the scale of the move. Antimony trioxide China 99.5% domestic now stands at $8,888.12/tonne (SMM-SB-AI-012), down from $13,736.06/tonne — a similarly sharp decline, discussed below.

Antimony Price in USD, EUR, GBP and Other Currencies

Exchange rates: Google Finance/XE, August 2026. Conversions calculated from the China Domestic 99.65% Sb benchmark. CNY figures reflect the USD/CNY mid-market rate and do not represent the SMM domestic Chinese price, which incorporates VAT and may differ materially.

Antimony Price Per Gram, Per Ounce and Per Pound

Antimony Price History

The antimony price trajectory since early 2024 is one of the sharpest commodity market moves driven by a single policy event. The August 2024 export control announcement — and the September 2024 implementation — functioned as a price floor removal for Western buyers. From a pre-controls European baseline of approximately $15,000–$18,000/tonne, prices reached a cycle peak of approximately $59,750/tonne in July 2025 before correcting materially. The correction has now extended for a third consecutive month, with the China-domestic benchmark falling especially sharply in August — independent market commentary (Fastmarkets) describes global antimony supply as “adequate” through 2026 due to growth in Southeast Asian output and stable demand, consistent with the scale of this month’s pullback.

Historical data sourced from Fastmarkets Rotterdam assessment and SMM China domestic benchmark. Production context: USGS National Minerals Information Center.

What Is Driving the Antimony Price

China’s Export Control Architecture

China accounts for approximately 48% of global antimony ore production and approximately 74% of global antimony trioxide refining capacity, according to USGS 2023 data. No other market participant comes close in either ore production or downstream processing scale — which is why the export licensing regime introduced in 2024 had an immediate and lasting effect on Western prices. The controls have evolved in three stages.

In August 2024, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced export licensing requirements for antimony, effective 15 September 2024 — added to the same framework previously applied to gallium and germanium. In December 2024, China announced a ban on antimony exports to US military end-users, escalating the controls from a licensing regime to an explicit ban for a defined end-use category. In May 2025, Chinese customs authorities launched a crackdown on illegal antimony smuggling, reinforcing the effectiveness of the controls and contributing to the subsequent price peak. Independent reporting describes new Chinese export regulations scheduled for 2026 introducing stricter eligibility requirements for exporters, alongside continued easing of global prices — a combination consistent with this month’s sharp domestic correction, even though the licensing regime itself remains in force. The China critical minerals export controls analysis covers the full licensing framework across all affected metals.

Demand Drivers

Antimony’s applications span several structural growth categories. Flame retardants — primarily antimony trioxide used synergistically with halogenated compounds — account for the largest share of consumption, serving electronics, textiles, and construction materials. Lead-acid batteries use antimony as a hardening agent in lead alloy plates, representing significant volume demand that moves broadly with the automotive aftermarket. Semiconductor applications require high-purity antimony price-sensitive material (5N and above) in compound semiconductors. Global antimony demand is projected to grow from approximately $2.5 billion in 2024 to $3.5 billion by 2030, implying a CAGR of 6.2%, according to Research and Markets. Independent analysis (Fastmarkets) now characterises global antimony supply as adequate for 2026, citing Southeast Asian production growth and stable demand — consistent with the sustained price correction now in its third consecutive month. Unlike cobalt or lithium, antimony has no exchange-traded futures contract — the SMM and Fastmarkets assessments are the primary price reference points for the market.

Antimony Price: Western Supply Development

Western supply alternatives to China are limited and slow to develop. The US ceased commercial antimony mining by approximately 2020; the USGS reported no domestic production in 2023. Russia holds approximately 17.5% of global antimony reserves but sanctions following the invasion of Ukraine have closed this route for most Western purchasers. Tajikistan is the most immediately accessible alternative source via the Anzob complex, though capacity is limited and logistics challenging. Belgium emerged as a secondary antimony oxide supplier to the US market during 2025, processing imported ore and recycled lead-acid batteries — a processing capability rather than a mining one, and at insufficient scale to substitute for Chinese volumes.

Exploration-stage projects in Southeast Asia and South America have attracted investor interest following the 2024–2025 price spike, and Southeast Asian production growth is now cited by Fastmarkets as a direct contributor to easing the global supply picture in 2026 — one of the more concrete signs of diversification bearing fruit, though development timelines for most other regions remain five to ten years. The EU Critical Raw Materials Act identifies antimony as a strategic raw material, though current EU production levels fall significantly short of stated targets. The EU Critical Raw Materials Act supplier guide covers compliance requirements in detail. The Minor Metals Trade Association publishes regular market intelligence on antimony and other technology metals.

Antimony in Defence and Strategic Applications

Antimony’s role in defence supply chains is a primary reason Western governments have classified it as a critical mineral. The metal’s main defence applications include munitions — antimony is used in lead-antimony alloys for bullet and projectile manufacture — night-vision equipment using infrared detectors based on antimony compound semiconductors, and military electronics where flame-retardant properties are required in equipment housings and circuit boards. The December 2024 Chinese announcement banning antimony exports to US military users formalised what had been an implicit risk into an explicit supply chain vulnerability, and the Pentagon has since directly supported antimony-related domestic supply chain projects in response.

European defence procurement has faced antimony supply constraints through 2025–2026 as ammunition replenishment programmes compete for limited available supply. High-purity antimony (5N and above) is consumed in compound semiconductor production for defence electronics — at $75.16/kg for 5N material and $346.38/kg for 7N, the high-purity segment represents a distinct demand tier where the Western supply gap remains structurally significant even as bulk metal pricing corrects. The MBDA missile supply chain analysis covers antimony dependency in European defence procurement in detail.

Antimony Price Outlook

The antimony price outlook for 2026 is more contingent on Chinese export policy than on supply-demand fundamentals — a situation that distinguishes antimony from most industrial metals. This month’s data complicates the “narrowing spread” narrative from recent updates: while independent forecasters (Fastmarkets) expect the China-international price gap to narrow over time as export licensing eases, the actual proportional premium Europe commands over China has widened this cycle, from roughly 44% to roughly 95%, because the domestic Chinese benchmark has fallen so much faster than the European one. This is worth reading carefully — it may still be consistent with an eventual narrowing if China’s domestic oversupply resolves before Western prices catch down, but on the data alone, the gap has moved the wrong way this month for that thesis. Analysts broadly expect the structural China-West price divergence to persist through 2026 in some form, given the limited near-term alternatives to Chinese supply, even as both benchmarks trend lower overall. Any escalation in US-China trade tensions could tighten access further; demand from defence procurement — structurally boosted by European rearmament and US munitions replenishment — may provide a persistent demand floor at elevated prices relative to the pre-2024 baseline. All forecasts carry significant uncertainty beyond a 12-month horizon.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Antimony prices are subject to change without notice.