Coal Price Per Ton Today
Access coal price per ton data through our professional API. Source-timestamped Newcastle thermal coal and US regional benchmarks, with freshness metadata on every response.
Use Newcastle coal data in your model
GET /v1/prices/latest?by_code=NEWCASTLE_COAL_USD → $144.75✓ 7-day free trial ✓ No credit card ✓ Cancel anytime
Timestamped Pricing
Newcastle thermal coal and US regional benchmarks, with an explicit freshness and staleness flag on every response
Global Benchmarks
Newcastle 6000 thermal coal, plus CAPP, PRB and Illinois Basin US regional benchmarks
API Integration
Simple REST API with comprehensive documentation and code examples
Compare coal prices by benchmark
Newcastle is quoted per metric ton; US regional series use short tons. Each row retains its observation date. Regional publication schedules differ from this page’s refresh interval.
Newcastle thermal coal
6,000 kcal/kg benchmark · USD/metric ton
$144.75
Latest available observation:
NEWCASTLE_COAL_USDCentral Appalachian coal
US regional benchmark · USD/short ton
$84.00
Latest available observation:
CAPP_COAL_USDPowder River Basin coal
US regional benchmark · USD/short ton
$14.50
Latest available observation:
PRB_COAL_USDIllinois Basin coal
US regional benchmark · USD/short ton
$55.00
Latest available observation:
ILLINOIS_COAL_USDFor metallurgical coal, verify the separate grade and observation date. Discontinued contracts are historical series, not current quotes. Check available history and plan access in the coal data guide.
Methodology reference: EIA Coal Markets explains regional heat content, delivery periods and short-ton units. It does not grant redistribution rights to underlying proprietary history.
About Coal Markets
Thermal Coal
Thermal coal (steam coal) is used primarily for electricity generation in power plants. API2 CIF ARA (Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp) is the primary benchmark for European thermal coal imports.
- Energy content typically 5,500-6,500 kcal/kg
- Major exporters: Australia, Indonesia, Russia, South Africa
Metallurgical Coal
Metallurgical coal (coking coal) is used in steel production. Australian HCC (Hard Coking Coal) is the premium benchmark for the global steel industry.
- Premium grade with low sulfur and ash content
- Critical for blast furnace steel production
Coal Grades: From Lignite to Anthracite
Coal is classified by carbon content and energy density. Understanding grades is essential for pricing — higher-grade coal commands significant premiums.
Lignite
25-35% carbon
Lowest grade, high moisture. Used in nearby power plants. Not traded internationally due to low energy density.
Sub-Bituminous
35-45% carbon
Includes Powder River Basin coal. Low sulfur makes it attractive despite lower energy content. Our PRB_COAL_USD endpoint.
Bituminous
45-86% carbon
Most traded grade. Includes thermal coal (power generation) and metallurgical coal (steelmaking). CAPP and Newcastle benchmarks.
Anthracite
86-97% carbon
Highest grade, hardest coal. Used in specialty applications and heating. Limited global supply — primarily Pennsylvania (US) and Vietnam.
Global Coal Markets by Region
North America
US produces ~550M tons/year across 3 main basins. Prices tracked via our CAPP, PRB, and Illinois Basin endpoints.
- Central Appalachian (CAPP): USD per short ton
- Powder River Basin (PRB): USD per short ton
- Illinois Basin: USD per short ton
Europe
API2 CIF ARA (Rotterdam) is the key benchmark. EU coal demand declining due to carbon pricing and renewables growth.
- API2 Rotterdam: the import benchmark
- Richards Bay (S. Africa export)
- Affected by EU ETS carbon price
Asia-Pacific
Newcastle 6000 is the benchmark for Asian thermal coal imports. China and India drive global demand growth.
- Newcastle: $144.75/metric ton (latest available)
- Australian HCC: a separate metallurgical grade
- Indonesia: world's largest exporter
Coal Price Drivers
Bullish Factors
- Cold winter weather increasing heating demand
- High natural gas prices (coal substitution)
- Chinese economic stimulus and steel production
- Supply disruptions (weather, labor, logistics)
Bearish Factors
- Renewable energy expansion reducing coal demand
- Carbon pricing and environmental regulations
- Global economic slowdown affecting steel demand
- Increased domestic production in China
Frequently Asked Questions About Coal Prices
What is the coal price per ton today?
The latest available Newcastle thermal coal observation is $144.75 per metric ton, observed 2026-09-18T00:01:05.320Z. Check the observation date before using it as a current price.
How much is coal per ton in the US?
US prices depend on region, heat content, sulfur and delivery terms. The table shows the latest available CAPP, PRB and Illinois Basin observations in USD per short ton, each with its own timestamp. Weekly observations are not intraday quotes.
What is metallurgical coal worth?
Metallurgical (coking) coal for steelmaking is a different product from Newcastle thermal coal. Check the grade, currency, unit and date on the coking-coal page before comparing. A thermal-coal quote cannot stand in for a coking-coal price.
Why do coal prices vary so much?
Heat content, sulfur, moisture, use in power generation or steelmaking, and transport costs all affect prices. A metric ton and a US short ton are different units; compare like grades and delivery periods.
How do I get coal prices into my application?
Request a named commodity code using your API key. Check its observation timestamp and freshness metadata. History depth and access depend on the series and plan; discontinued contracts are historical data, not current quotes.
Bring coal benchmarks into your workflow
Choose a named series, review its latest observation, and use the documented request in your reporting model.
# Get your API key instantly after signup # US Spot Coal (Weekly updates) curl "https://api.oilpriceapi.com/v1/prices/latest?by_code=CAPP_COAL_USD" \ -H 'Authorization: Token YOUR_API_KEY' # International Futures (check the freshness field on each response) curl "https://api.oilpriceapi.com/v1/prices/latest?by_code=NEWCASTLE_COAL_USD" \ -H 'Authorization: Token YOUR_API_KEY' # Get multiple coal types at once curl "https://api.oilpriceapi.com/v1/prices/latest?by_code=CAPP_COAL_USD,NEWCASTLE_COAL_USD,COKING_COAL_USD" \ -H 'Authorization: Token YOUR_API_KEY' # Historical NYMEX data curl "https://api.oilpriceapi.com/v1/prices/past_year?by_code=NYMEX_APPALACHIAN_USD" \ -H 'Authorization: Token YOUR_API_KEY'
This page serves a Newcastle thermal coal price in US dollars per metric ton, captured from the front-month ICE Newcastle coal futures market. Seaborne thermal coal has several regional benchmarks that can sit tens of dollars apart, and this site itself carries two of them; the sections below state which is which.
Which coal price this is
The value is captured from an aggregator page tracking ICE's Newcastle coal futures. Those futures cash-settle against the globalCOAL monthly NEWC index - free-on-board Newcastle, Australia, on a 6,000 kcal/kg net-as-received energy basis - which makes this the Pacific-basin benchmark for high-energy thermal coal. Which specific futures month stands behind each observation is not asserted in our data: none of the series' 3,929 rows carries a contract month, and steps at month boundaries, such as +6.7% on 2026-06-01, are consistent with front-month rolls rather than price moves.
Two coal codes, two basins, a real spread
Our legacy code COAL_USD is a different benchmark: API 2, the Argus and McCloskey joint index for coal delivered into northwest Europe (CIF ARA), published as the average of their two assessments. On 2026-08-10 this Newcastle series printed $129.00 while the API 2 series printed $116.75 - $12.25 apart, on the same day, both correct. Freight and quality basis make the two benchmarks genuinely different prices: the Newcastle premium over ARA averaged under $6 per ton across the 2010s, then blew out during the 2022-2023 energy dislocation, with published estimates of the peak premium ranging from about $120 to over $200 per ton depending on the date and instrument measured. A model that treats one benchmark as a proxy for the other inherits that entire range as error.
API 2's month-boundary behavior is sharper still: the series stepped +15.6% on 2026-06-01, the same first-trading-day pattern, again with no contract identity asserted.
Thermal is not coking
Both series on this page are thermal (steam) coal for power generation. Metallurgical coal for steelmaking is a separate market with separate benchmarks and price levels, and neither of these codes tracks it. Our COKING_COAL_USD series exists for that market.
Data freshness
Single-source capture, roughly every two to three days; the API 2 companion series updates daily, also single-source. Newcastle records begin 2019-01-02, API 2 records 2020-01-02. Neither series asserts the futures month behind an observation.
Newcastle Coal FAQ
Why do the two coal prices on this site differ?
They are different benchmarks in different basins: NEWCASTLE_COAL_USD follows the Pacific benchmark (FOB Newcastle, 6,000 kcal/kg), COAL_USD follows API 2 (CIF northwest Europe). On 2026-08-10 they printed $129.00 and $116.75 - a $12.25 spread that freight and quality basis fully account for.
Which futures contract month is this?
Not asserted. Our data does not carry the contract month, and month-boundary steps in the series are consistent with front-month rolls. Treat first-of-month moves with caution until contract identity is asserted in the data.
How often does this series update?
Sparsely: about 13 observations in the thirty days to 2026-08-10, roughly one every two to three days, from a single source. There is no second source to cross-check against, a structurally weaker position than our multi-source series.