Antimony Price Trend Q2 2026: China and India Rates Compared

Antimony just crossed a threshold worth pausing on. As of June 2026, China's antimony price sits at USD 19,748.60/MT on an FOB basis. India's is close behind at USD 19,836.15/MT, CIF. That's a spread of only USD 87.55 per ton tight, almost negligible on a commodity this expensive.

Why does antimony command this kind of pricing at all? It's a critical mineral. Flame retardants, lead-acid batteries, semiconductors antimony shows up in all of them, and supply has been anything but relaxed lately. When a metal this tight in supply moves even slightly, buyers notice fast.

Current Antimony Prices: China vs India

The numbers, straight from the June 2026 data:

Under USD 90 separates the two markets. On a product priced near USD 20,000 a ton, that's less than half a percent. Compare that to how wide the gaps can get in other metals, and this looks almost like price convergence between the two regions.

A few points buyers should keep in mind:

• China's figure is FOB — the exporter covers costs only up to loading at the port, nothing beyond.
• India's CIF price rolls freight and insurance into the number, which typically pushes landed cost higher.
• Given how close these two figures already are, India's CIF rate barely running above China's FOB rate says something about how tight global antimony supply has gotten.

Small spread or not, FOB and CIF aren't measuring the exact same thing. Buyers comparing these two numbers directly should remember that part of the gap — small as it is — comes from the shipping terms themselves, not just market forces.

Why Antimony Prices Are Behaving This Way

Antimony isn't your average industrial metal. Supply concentration plays a huge role here.

Supply concentration. China produces and refines most of the world's antimony. When Chinese output tightens — export controls, mining restrictions, processing slowdowns — global buyers feel it almost immediately. There's no deep alternative supply chain to fall back on.

Battery and defense demand. Antimony's role in lead-acid batteries keeps steady baseline demand alive. Add defense and flame-retardant applications into the mix, and demand doesn't really soften even when broader industrial activity slows down.

Export policy. China has tightened antimony export rules in recent years. Fewer permits, stricter quotas — that kind of policy shift removes supply from the market fast, and prices respond almost instantly.

Freight and insurance costs. For India's CIF number specifically, shipping lane conditions and insurance premiums add on top of the base price. Even minor freight cost shifts show up in the final landed figure.

Quick Questions Buyers Are Asking Right Now

Is antimony actually in short supply? Yes. Global refined antimony output has been constrained for a while now, and China's export policy changes have made the squeeze worse. Buyers sourcing outside China often face longer lead times.

Why is the China-India gap so small compared to other metals? Mostly because both regions are pulling from the same tight global supply pool. There isn't enough price flexibility left in the market for a wide regional spread to form.

Should buyers lock in long-term contracts now? That depends on risk tolerance. Prices this high, with supply this constrained, can move sharply in either direction. Some buyers are locking in volume now; others are staying flexible and buying smaller batches.

What This Means for Buyers and Investors

Sourcing teams working with antimony have a narrower decision to make than usual. With the China-India spread this tight, the sourcing choice comes down less to price and more to reliability, contract flexibility, and how exposed a supplier is to further export restrictions.

Investors watching critical minerals should treat antimony's current pricing as a signal, not a peak. Supply concentration risk hasn't gone away. If China tightens export policy further, prices could move up quickly — and buyers without secured contracts would feel that first.

For manufacturers using antimony in batteries or flame retardants, this is the moment to build in some buffer. Passing on rising input costs downstream gets harder the longer a company waits to plan for it.

Looking Ahead: Q2 2026 Outlook

Where does antimony go from here? Hard to say with certainty, but a few things point toward continued tightness.

China's grip on global supply isn't loosening anytime soon. If anything, export policy has trended stricter, not looser, over the past couple of years. That alone suggests upward pressure on price stays intact through the rest of Q2 2026.

Demand isn't fading either. Batteries, defense applications, flame retardants — none of these sectors are slowing down enough to ease pressure on antimony pricing. Buyers should expect this tight spread between China and India to hold, maybe even narrow further, unless a major supply shift changes the picture.

Conclusion

The antimony price trend for Q2 2026 shows just how tight this market has become — China at USD 19,748.60/MT FOB, India at USD 19,836.15/MT CIF, both from June 2026. An USD 87.55 gap on a USD 20,000 commodity isn't noise. It's a sign that global supply has very little slack left. Anyone sourcing or investing in antimony right now should treat this pricing data as a starting point for planning, not a number to check once and forget.

FAQ Section

What is the current antimony price trend in China and India?
As of June 2026, China's antimony is priced at USD 19,748.60/MT FOB, while India's runs USD 19,836.15/MT CIF. The gap between the two is unusually small, under USD 90 per ton, reflecting how tight global antimony supply has become this year.

Why is antimony so expensive right now?
Antimony supply is heavily concentrated in China, and export restrictions there have tightened over the past couple of years. Combine that with steady demand from batteries, flame retardants, and defense applications, and prices have climbed well past historical norms.

What's the difference between FOB and CIF pricing for antimony?
FOB covers costs only up to the port of loading, with the buyer handling freight and insurance from there. CIF includes freight and insurance in the quoted price. That's part of why China's FOB figure and India's CIF figure aren't perfectly comparable side by side.

What industries drive the most demand for antimony?
Lead-acid batteries account for a large chunk of global antimony demand, alongside flame retardants used in textiles, plastics, and electronics. Defense and semiconductor applications add further baseline demand, which keeps pricing relatively firm even during slower industrial periods.

Will antimony prices keep rising through Q2 2026?
Likely, though nothing's guaranteed. China's export policy shows no sign of loosening, and demand from batteries and defense sectors remains steady. Barring a major new supply source entering the market, the current tight pricing environment looks set to continue through the rest of Q2 2026.