The price of antimony, a metal used in fireproofing, has reached an all-time high above $13,000 a tonne, double its levels of a year ago, as China continues a clampdown on illegal and polluting mining.
The length of the clampdown has surprised the industry, which was expecting a relaxation in 2011, leaving western users scrambling to secure supplies of a metal, the production of which China monopolises.
The heavy buying has pushed prices this week to a record high from prices of about $5,000 a tonne five years ago. Over the past six months, antimony prices have risen by 40 per cent.
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