Why antimony is written as Sb in specifications

Understanding the subject

The periodic-table symbol for antimony is Sb. Laboratory reports and procurement specifications often use this symbol rather than writing the element name in full.

What it means in practice

A value labelled Sb describes antimony content, but the unit and reporting basis still matter. Percent, parts per million and mass per unit volume cannot be compared without checking the units. For concentrate, dry or wet reporting can introduce another distinction.

Bring it into your next discussion

In a commercial document, write the product identity in words and keep Sb values linked to their units, methods and material basis. A clear heading saves time when technical teams review the report and commercial teams prepare a quotation.

• Check the unit beside each Sb result.
• Keep the grade basis beside the percentage.
• Do not infer product form from the element symbol.

Background source: Original publisher ↗