strata memo

All fact sheets · The Strata Memo

Metallurgical coal

CoalMetallurgical coalCoking coal, used to make coke for steelmaking
A sample of metallurgical coal
Photo: Stahlkocher · CC BY-SA 3.0

Hover, focus or tap to see the real thing

Photo Stahlkocher. “Koks Brennstoff.jpg.” CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons. File page

What it is

Coking coal, used to make coke for steelmaking.

“a grade of coal that can be used to produce good-quality coke”

Source: Wikipedia contributors, Metallurgical coal (composition line) (text as saved)

On the USGS 2025 List of Critical Minerals. Figures: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 (data release, public domain). Estimates are USGS's; check the USGS chapter for notes. Each panel names its source; full citations are in the methodology source register.

U.S. imports, 2025$377.2Munder the main trade codes for this mineral (Census; can include other goods)
Policy and funding items1tracked for Metallurgical coal; 0 federal awards already made

Overview

The headline numbers: how much the U.S. depends on imports and how concentrated supply is.

Did you know?

Metallurgical (coking) coal is baked in a low-oxygen oven to make coke, the fuel and reactant blast furnaces need for primary steelmaking.

Checked against two independent sources. Verified 2026-10-26.
Sources: Wikipedia · Kentucky Geological Survey, University of Kentucky (Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA)

Supply

Who produces it, where the reserves are, where U.S. imports come from, and how U.S. supply has moved.

Where U.S. imports come from

Choose a data set, then a view. A country keeps the same color in every chart on this page. Grey means other countries, or a country beyond the seven colors (always labeled). Hover or focus a mark for its value, or use the table view.

Census dollars
Flow of 2701 Coal; briquettes, ovoids etc.… into the United StatesColombia65% · $244.1MCanada24% · $88.7MPeru6% · $23.9MUnited Kingdom2% · $6.9MIreland2% · $6.7MChina2% · $6.5MUnited Statesimports
Colombia65% · $244.1M
Canada24% · $88.7M
Peru6% · $23.9M
United Kingdom2% · $6.9M
Ireland2% · $6.7M
China2% · $6.5M
Share of 2701 Coal; briquettes, ovoids etc.… by country65%Colombia
  • Colombia65% · $244.1M
  • Canada24% · $88.7M
  • Peru6% · $23.9M
  • United Kingdom2% · $6.9M
  • Ireland2% · $6.7M
  • China2% · $6.5M
Change in import shares, Calendar 2025 to Jan to Aug 2026Calendar 2025Jan to Aug 2026Colombia 65%69% ColombiaCanada 24%18% CanadaPeru 6%7% PeruUnited Kingdom 2%4% United KingdomIreland 2%0% IrelandChina 2%1% ChinaVietnam 0%1% Vietnam
CountryU.S. imports, 2025Share of this chart
Colombia65% · $244.1M64.8%
Canada24% · $88.7M23.5%
Peru6% · $23.9M6.4%
United Kingdom2% · $6.9M1.8%
Ireland2% · $6.7M1.8%
China2% · $6.5M1.7%

U.S. general imports (customs value) in calendar 2025 under HS 2701; countries beyond the top six are grouped. The code can include goods beyond this mineral. The Shift view compares each country's share of 2025 with its share of Jan to Aug 2026 (shares of each period's total).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, International Trade API: U.S. imports by HS code and country (calendar 2025; Jan to Aug 2026) (data months 2025-12, 2026-08)

Trade and tariffs

Tariff codes and the countries behind U.S. imports and exports.

Trade codes and tariffs

HTS codeWhat it coversNormal rateColumn 2 rate
2701Coal; briquettes, ovoids and similar solid fuels manufactured from coalFreeFree

Rates from the U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule (USITC, saved 2026-10-26). The normal rate is column 1 general; column 2 applies to countries without normal trade relations. A range means different products under the code have different rates. Section 232, Section 301, emergency tariffs and antidumping or countervailing duties are set in separate notices and are not shown. Look up any code at hts.usitc.gov. These are the main codes for this mineral, not a complete list.

Source: U.S. International Trade Commission, Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, general and column 2 rates (edition current when saved)

U.S. trade by country

U.S. imports in 2025 by source country, code 2701

Colombia65% · $244.1M
Canada24% · $88.7M
Peru6% · $23.9M
United Kingdom2% · $6.9M
Ireland2% · $6.7M
China2% · $6.5M

U.S. exports in 2025 by destination, code 2701

India25% · $2.5B
Brazil10% · $1.0B
Netherlands10% · $997.4M
Japan7% · $666.3M
Canada6% · $589.4M
Morocco5% · $513.5M

2701 Coal; briquettes, ovoids etc. mfr from coal

Imports 2025$377.2 million
Exports 2025$10.00 billion
Duty collected 2025$29,878
Imports Jan to Aug 2026$237.5 million

Top import sources Colombia 65%, Canada 24%, Peru 6%

Top export destinations India 25%, Brazil 10%, Netherlands 10%

U.S. Census Bureau International Trade API, saved 2026-10-26. Imports are general imports (customs value) and exports are total exports, in U.S. dollars. Duty collected is Census's calculated duty on imports for consumption. Figures cover every 10-digit product under the code, so they can include goods beyond this mineral, and the duty shown is not split into Section 232, Section 301 or antidumping duties. Bars show the largest code for each direction. Group rows such as the EU or OECD are left out so no country is counted twice.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, International Trade API: U.S. imports and exports by HS code and country (calendar 2025, and January to Aug 2026) (data months 2025-12, 2026-08)

Policy and funding

Federal items we track for this mineral, each linked to its original.

Policy timeline

2025-05-29 · Department of Energy
Critical Material List; Addition of Metallurgical Coal Used for Steelmaking
Source: federalregister.gov, published 2025-05-29, retrieved 2026-10-26

Tagged by AI from federal sources; each links to the original. How we label.

Source: U.S. federal sources (Federal Register, Grants.gov, DOE, Regulations.gov, DFC), Policy items tagged for Metallurgical coal (dates per item)

Data tables

The USGS figures behind the charts. Click a column heading to sort.

USGS's Mineral Commodity Summaries data release has no figures for Metallurgical coal. Not an MCS commodity chapter.