United States Antimony has significantly ramped up its efforts in Montana, announcing that it has more than doubled the daily extraction rate at its Stibnite Hill mine. The company is now pulling 42 tons of ore per day from the site, marking a substantial leap in productivity compared to previous campaigns. Since restarting operations in April after the winter freeze, crews have already extracted 576 tons of high grade stibnite ore, with shipments averaging about fourteen tons per load and maintaining an antimony content of approximately ten percent.
The logistics chain for these materials involves transporting the raw ore to a flotation mill in Radersburg, Montana. Once concentrated, the mineral is sent to smelting facilities located either in Thompson Falls or Madero, Mexico, where it is refined into finished products. Joseph Bardswich, the company’s executive vice president and chief mining engineer, noted that the increased speed is a result of improved contractor efficiency and favorable conditions within the vein systems they are currently excavating. He also indicated that similar operational gains are expected soon at their sites in Alaska.
This surge in private production comes at a time when the United States government is aggressively pursuing a strategy to secure domestic supply chains for critical minerals. To reduce reliance on foreign sources, Washington has begun deploying significant capital toward new infrastructure projects. A prime example is the massive financial backing provided via the US Export Import Bank for Perpetua Resources’ separate gold and antimony venture in Idaho. With billions in proposed loans and existing cash reserves, that project aims to establish a long term pillar of domestic stability for antimony supplies.