Global coking coal exports drop slightly in Jan-Sep'25 on weak steel market sentiment

RAIPUR, India - Nov. 12, 2025 - PRLog -- Global coking coal export volume shrunk marginally in January-September 2025 (9MCY'25) by around 1.4% y-o-y to approximately 273 million tonnes (mnt) compared to 277 mnt in the same period last year, as per provisional data maintained with BigMint.

Geopolitical tensions, US import tariffs, global economic slowdown, and declining steel production weigh on coking coal trade flows and demand. As per WSA, global crude steel production dropped 1.6% on the year to 1.37 billion tonnes (bnt) in 9MCY'25, with all the major countries and regions witnessing a decline in production except India and the US.

Australia remained by far the largest exporter of coking coal, with a share of nearly 40% of global exports and the primary source of premium hard coal; however, total exports by Down Under fell y-o-y in 9MCY'25 on lower shipments to India, Japan and China.

Exports in 2024 had reached 375 mnt, with Australia's share at 45% and the respective shares of the US, Mongolia and Russia stood at 15%, 14% and 11%. However, Mongolia overtook the US as the second-largest exporter of coking coal in 9MCY'25 despite a marginal drop in overall volumes.