46 



UNITED STATES MINERAL RESOURCES 



range-finding shells, tracer bullets, and fireworks 

 and as a vulcanizing agent in the rubber industry. 

 A small amount of antimony sulfide is also used in 

 friction matches. 



Organic antimony compounds are used in the 

 treatment of certain parasitic diseases. Potassium 

 antimonyl tartrate has been used as a nauseant and 

 expectorant. 



U.S. consumption of primary antimony was about 

 23 percent lower in 1970-71 than during the pre- 

 vious 4-year period. This may reflect consumer re- 

 sistance to the high price level during 1970, but 

 antimony prices in June 1971 were comparable to 

 October-November 1969 prices, and prices con- 

 tinued the downtrend during the last half of 1971. 

 More than 80 percent of the U.S. smelter output of 

 primary antimony is derived from imported anti- 

 mony ores and concentrates or byproduct antimony 

 from foreign lead ores; domestic antimony ores 

 account for about 7 percent and byproduct anti- 

 mony from lead-silver ores accounts for 9 percent 

 of the antimony produced. 



Other substances may be substituted for antimony 

 in most uses, but substitutes may be in short sup- 

 ply or may be more expensive to use. Substitution 

 is restricted by the necessity of making changes in 

 production techniques and factory equipment. Mer- 

 cury, titanium, lead, zinc, chromium, tin, and zir- 

 conium may substitute for antimony in paints, pig- 

 ments, and enamels. Possible substitutes for 

 antimony-hardened lead are tin, calcium, and 

 dispersion-hardened lead ; selected organic com- 

 pounds have been accepted as alternative materials 

 in flameproofing. 



Antimony is a strategic commodity because of its 

 important military uses. Concern about future sup- 

 ply of antimony is increased by the dependency of 

 the United States on imported ores and concentrates. 

 The United States receives about 50 percent of its 

 imported antimony ores from the Republic of South 

 Africa; Mexico and Bolivia, important suppliers in 

 the past, still account for about half the ore imports. 



EXPLOITATION 



Stibnite deposits and occurrences were discovered 

 in Nevada as early as the 1860's, and some antimony 

 ore was produced as early as 1865. Idaho's produc- 

 tion started in the early 1890's. 



Military importance of antimony was first realized 

 during World War I; the shortage resulting from 

 military uses was eased to some extent by increased 

 domestic production and imports from Bolivia. The 

 price for antimony dropped from a high of 45 cents 

 per pound in 1916 to a low of 4 cents per pound in 



1922. Expanded use of storage batteries in the auto- 

 mobile industry increased antimony consumption 

 during the 1930's. (See fig. 8.) World War II esca- 

 lated the demand for antimony, and idle domestic 

 mines were reopened and foreign mines expanded 

 production. Secondary antimony recovered from 

 scrap became a major supply source. 



1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 



Figure 8.- 



-Price and production of antimony in the United 

 States, 1916-70. 



World War II antimony production peaked in 

 1943 when U.S. mines produced 5,111 short tons of 

 contained antimony, largely from the Yellow Pine 

 mine of Idaho. Production peaked again in 1948 at 

 the all-time high total from U.S. mines of 6,489 

 short tons of contained antimony, again largely from 

 the Yellow Pine mine. This production peak reflects 

 the continued production of antimony at the Yellow 

 Pine mine after the high-grade tungsten-antimony 

 ore was exhausted. In 1951, domestic production 

 attained a minor peak of 3,472 short tons of con- 

 tained antimony, probably paralleling increased 

 military needs during the Korean War. Thus, the 

 three production peaks occurred during one 10-year 

 period, 1942-52. 



The price for imported antimony metal, at New 

 York, reached a high of $4 per pound early in 1970, 

 and the price for imported ore and concentrates, 60 

 percent antimony, topped at $43-$45 per long-ton 

 unit in June 1970. Peak prices of RMM ($1.76 per 

 lb) and Lone Star ($1.77 per lb) metals produced 

 by NL Industries, Inc., at Laredo, Tex., were reached 

 in April 1970, and they held at that level through 

 August 1970. Production from mines in the United 



