About
This page documents a number of useful sources for coal price data.
Coal Prices
| Commodity | Source | Start Date | End Date | Frequency | Latest Price | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Coal | BP | 1987 | 2010 | Annually | 92.50 | This is the annual North-West Europe Marker price for coal. |
| United States Coal | BP | 1990 | 2010 | Annually | 71.63 | This is the annual U.S. Central Appalachian spot price for coal. |
| EPI | 1949 | 2005 | Annually | 19.43 | This is the annual price of American coal per the EPI. | |
| Japanese Coal | BP | 1987 | 2010 | Annually | 158.95 | This is the annual price of Japanese coking coal. |
| BP | 1987 | 2010 | Annually | 105.19 | This is the annual price of Japanese steam coal import. | |
| Australian Coal | IMF | Jan-1980 | Apr-2013 | Monthly | 93.44 | This is the monthly spot price of Australian thermal coal per the IMF. |
| WB | Jan-1970 | Apr-2013 | Annually | 87.21 | This is the annual spot price of Australian thermal coal per the WB. | |
| South African Coal | WB | Jan-1984 | Apr-2013 | Monthly | 81.42 | This is the monthly price of South African coal exports. |
| Historical Coal Prices | FRED | Jan-1880 | Dec-1913 | Monthly | 81.90 | These are the historical price index of British Coal exports. |
| FRED | Jan-1879 | Dec-1919 | Monthly | 7.96 | These are the historical prices of German coal exports (in marks per metric ton). |
- The price of coal is measured in US$ per metric ton unless otherwise noted in the comments.
List of Data Sources
| Source | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| BP | British Petroleum | BP is a multinational oil and gas corporation, which in 2011 was ranked fourth largest company in the world. |
| EPI | Earth Policy Institute | EPI is an environmental organization providing research on economic indicators to promote environmental sustainability. |
| FRED | Federal Reserve Economic Data | An online database created and maintained by the research department at the Federal Reserve Bank at St. Louis. |
| IMF | International Monetary Fund | The IMF collects financial statistics from around the world: asset values, debt information, exchange rates and commodity prices. |
| WB | World Bank | The World Bank collects economic, developmental and social statistics from around the world. |
Notes
- Steam coal is a grade of coal lower than the high grade anthracite but higher than the lower grade bituminous coal.
- Coking coal (also just known as coke) is a solid residue derived from bituminous coal and is used in metallurgical processes.
Additional Resources
- For pricing data on other kinds of conventional energy sources see our pages on Crude Oil and Gasoline and Natural Gas.
