Industry explainer · U.S. view · Critical minerals · Export controls · Defense

Tungsten, Antimony, Gallium and Germanium Industry Explained: The U.S. View

Tungsten, antimony, gallium and germanium are used in small amounts but are hard to replace: tungsten in cutting tools, antimony in flame retardants and ammunition, gallium in chips and lasers, germanium in fiber optics and infrared optics. China dominates all four. According to the USGS, China produced 99% of the world's primary gallium and about 67,000 of the world's 85,000 tons of tungsten in 2025, and it is the leading producer of antimony and germanium. The United States produces almost none: no primary gallium since 1987, no commercial tungsten mining since 2015, and antimony mining only restarted in Montana in 2025. China turned this into leverage. It put export licenses on gallium and germanium in August 2023, restricted antimony in August 2024, banned all exports of gallium, germanium and antimony to the United States in December 2024, and added tungsten controls in February 2025. Prices jumped: antimony averaged about $25 a pound in 2025, more than double 2024, and germanium metal more than doubled. In November 2025 China lifted its gallium ban on the U.S. for one year.

中文版（中国视角）：一文看懂钨锑镓锗产业链 →

Gallium: USGS: China produced 99% of the world's primary gallium in 2025
Antimony: Antimony averaged about $25 a pound in 2025, more than double 2024
Export ban: China banned gallium, germanium and antimony exports to the U.S. in Dec 2024

IN ONE LINESmall metals, big leverage: China decides who gets them.

How the chain works

China mines and refines most of these four metals, often as byproducts of other metals, and controls exports through licenses. The U.S. imports almost all of them for cutting tools, flame retardants and ammunition, chips and lasers, and fiber and infrared optics.Swipe sideways on a phone to see the full chart.

Four metals at a glance (USGS, 2025)

	Tungsten	Antimony	Gallium	Germanium
Main U.S. uses	Cemented carbide tools, about 60%	Flame retardants 49%, lead and ammunition 40%	Integrated circuits 73%, optoelectronics 26%	Fiber optics, infrared optics, space solar cells
U.S. production	No mining since 2015	Mining restarted in Montana in 2025	No primary output since 1987	No primary refining
China's controls	Export controls from Feb 2025	Restricted Aug 2024, U.S. ban Dec 2024	Licenses Aug 2023, U.S. ban Dec 2024, lifted 1 year Nov 2025	Licenses Aug 2023, U.S. ban Dec 2024
2025 price move	APT in Rotterdam roughly doubled	About $25/lb, more than double 2024	Import value about $580/kg, up 30%	Metal about $4,100/kg, roughly double

Small volumes, hard to replace

These metals are often recovered as byproducts: gallium mostly from processing bauxite into alumina, germanium from zinc ores and coal, antimony partly from lead recycling. That makes supply hard to expand just because prices rise.

According to the USGS, tungsten's main U.S. use is cemented carbide for cutting and wear parts in construction, metalworking, mining and drilling, about 60% of consumption. Antimony goes into flame retardants (49%) and antimonial lead and ammunition (40%). Gallium goes into integrated circuits (73%) and optoelectronic devices such as LEDs and lasers (26%). Germanium goes into fiber optics, infrared lenses, solar cells for satellites and radiation detectors.

China's controls and the price response

China introduced export licensing for gallium and germanium in August 2023 and announced antimony restrictions in August 2024. In December 2024 it banned all exports of the three to the United States. In February 2025 it added export controls on selected tungsten items, after the U.S. had raised Section 301 tariffs on several Chinese tungsten products to 50%.

Prices followed. The USGS reports antimony at $25 a pound on average in 2025, more than double 2024, after peaking at $27.50 in June. Rotterdam prices for tungsten APT rose from $331 to $675 per metric ton unit during 2025. U.S. imports of germanium metal fell 67% in 2025 to about 7,000 kg, while Europe's germanium metal price rose from $3,150 to $5,380 per kilogram between January and October. In November 2025 China lifted its gallium ban on the U.S. for one year.

Rebuilding U.S. supply

The government is funding new sources. In October 2025 an Idaho company conditionally awarded $80 million by the Department of War broke ground on an antimony mine, and mining began at a Montana antimony mine in November. In November the Department of War granted $29.9 million for a Louisiana demonstration plant to recover gallium and scandium from industrial waste, and the Energy Department offered up to $6 million to restart domestic gallium recovery for the first time in almost 40 years.

Tungsten projects in Nevada, New Brunswick and Yukon received Defense Production Act awards, and in October 2025 a Kazakhstan–U.S. joint venture to develop tungsten resources was announced. These projects take years; in the meantime the U.S. relies on imports from non-Chinese suppliers and on recycling.

How the U.S. view differs from the China view

The Chinese version of this page is written from the producer's seat: China holds most of the world's tungsten, antimony, gallium and germanium output, sets export licenses, and sees prices for its producers rise when controls tighten.

From the U.S. side these metals are a list of single points of failure. The U.S. produces almost none of them, its defense and chip industries depend on them, and the response is a mix of stockpiles, defense funding for new mines and recovery plants, and sourcing from allies.

2024–2025: the export ban

In December 2024 China banned exports of gallium, germanium and antimony to the United States, building on licensing rules from 2023 and 2024. In February 2025 it added tungsten controls.

U.S. buyers scrambled: germanium metal imports fell 67%, and antimony prices more than doubled to an average of about $25 a pound in 2025.

The U.S. answered with defense funding for antimony mines and gallium recovery. In November 2025 China lifted the gallium ban for one year. The episode showed how quickly supply can be cut and how slowly it can be rebuilt.

What this shows

Byproduct metals cannot be ramped up quickly when prices rise.
Export controls can be imposed or lifted in months; new mines take years.
Defense needs drive U.S. government support for these metals.

Common misreadings

MythThese metals are too small to matter.

RealityGallium goes into chips and lasers, antimony into ammunition; there are few substitutes.

MythThe U.S. can quickly mine its own.

RealityThe U.S. has had no primary gallium since 1987 and no tungsten mining since 2015.

MythChina's controls only affect prices in China.

RealityAntimony averaged about $25 a pound in 2025, more than double 2024.

MythChina lifted all its bans in November 2025.

RealityThe USGS reports China lifted its gallium ban on the U.S. for one year.

Controls, projects and demand: scenarios

Scenario	Main effect	How it passes through
China reimposes the gallium ban	Chip and laser makers	Higher prices, sourcing from Japan and others
New U.S. antimony mines ramp up	Import reliance	Less dependence on Chinese oxide
Gallium recovery from alumina or zinc succeeds	U.S. supply	First primary output since 1987
Defense spending rises	Antimony and tungsten demand	More ammunition and tooling demand
China tightens tungsten controls	Tool makers	Higher carbide costs
Prices fall after controls ease	New projects	Economics of non-China supply weaken

Supply and demand by segment

Segment	Supply rigidity	Concentration	New demand	Policy role	What to watch
Tungsten	High (mines take years)	Very high (China)	Low	Very high	APT prices, new mines
Antimony	High	Very high (China)	Yes (defense)	Very high	Price, U.S. mine output
Gallium	Very high (byproduct)	Extreme (China 99%)	Yes (chips)	Very high	China licensing
Germanium	Very high (byproduct)	Very high (China)	Yes (optics, space)	Very high	Prices, import volumes

Supply rigidity: how long new capacity takes and whether money can speed it up. Concentration: whether output sits in a few countries or companies. The more rigid and concentrated, the more prone to shortages.

How to track it

Indicator	What it tells you	Where to find it
Annual production, imports and prices	Supply and reliance	USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries, yearly, free
China export control notices	Supply risk	China Ministry of Commerce, free
Defense Production Act awards	New U.S. sources	Department of Defense (War) announcements, free
Rare earths	Related China-controlled chain	U.S. view: rare earths

Sources

Last updated 2026-10-18.

This page explains the structure and supply-demand logic of an industry for educational purposes. It does not refer to any specific security and is not investment advice. Figures are dated and sourced; they may have changed since, so check the latest official data.