chemical · input
Primary ignition compound in ammunition primers. Only 4 US manufacturers globally (Winchester, Federal, CCI, Remington). Extremely toxic; highly specialized production. EU REACH regulations creating transition pressure to lead-free alternatives (RUAG Sintox, KDNP) but no substitute fully matches reliability, temperature range, and storage life of lead styphnate.
5
Source countries
5
Companies
1
Goods affected
0
Claims on record
What depends on it
1 essential American goods rely on lead styphnate (primer explosive compound) somewhere upstream in their supply chain.
Where it comes from
Share of global supply, by country.
| Country | Share of supply |
|---|---|
| USUnited States | 35% |
| CNChina | 25% |
| RURussia | 15% |
| CHSwitzerland | 12% |
| CZCzech Republic | 10% |
Who makes it
5 companies produce lead styphnate (primer explosive compound).
Olin Corporation ammunition division; operates East Alton IL (historic Winchester site) and Oxford MS factories; ~30% of US primer production through Winchester-branded primers; East Alton has produced primers since 1892; also makes lead styphnate in-house for Winchester ammunition
Czech private defense and industrial conglomerate (owner: Michal Strnad); acquired Vista Outdoor's shooting products division (Federal Premium, CCI, Remington, Speer) in November 2024 for ~$1.9B; rebranded as Kinetic Group; now the largest Western primer/ammunition manufacturer outside Russia by volume; also owns Sellier & Bellot
Czech ammunition manufacturer (founded 1825); subsidiary of CBC (Companhia Brasileira de Cartuchos); major European primer and ammunition maker; produces lead styphnate primers for Czech and NATO military; Vlasim plant is one of Europe's oldest continuous ammunition facilities
UK defense company; makes initiators, fuzes, decoy flares, and energetic materials; operates Chemring Nobel (Norway) for propellants and Chemring Energetics UK for initiators/primers; supplies NATO defense customers; primer and initiator segment is core business
Swiss precision ammunition company (subsidiary of RUAG Group, Swiss federal armaments); operates Thun (Switzerland) and Fürth (Germany) plants; inventor of SINTOX lead-free primer technology (30+ years of production); supplies Swiss Army and NATO countries; SINTOX proven in field vs. CCI-41 lead-based across temperature ranges and humidity
