Gradewise Coking Coal Production
(Source: Coal Directory of India, various issues)
In India Coal is broadly classified into two types – Coking and Non-Coking.
Coking Coal: Coking Coal, when heated in the absence of air, form coherent beads, free from volatiles, with strong and porous mass, called coke. Coking coal has coking properties and is mainly used in steel making and metallurgical industries.
Semi Coking Coal: Semi Coking Coal, when heated in the absence of air, form coherent beads not strong enough to be directly fed into the blast furnace. Such coal is blended with coking coal in adequate proportion to make coke. Clearly, Semi Coking Coal has comparatively fewer coking properties than coking coal. It is mainly used as blendable coal in steel making, merchant coke manufacturing and other metallurgical industries.
Non-Coking Coal: Non-Coking Coal does not have coking properties and is mainly used for power generation. It is also used for cement, fertilizer, glass, ceramic, paper, chemical and brick manufacturing, and for other heating purposes.
Washed Coal: Processing of coal through water separation mechanism to improve the quality of coal by removing denser material (rocks) and high ash produces washed coal which has less ash, higher moisture, better sizing, better consistency, less abrasiveness, etc. The washed coking coal is used in manufacturing of hard coke for steel making. Washed non-coking coal is used mainly for power generation but is also used by cement, sponge iron and other industrial plants.
In India, coking coal has been categorized or graded on the basis of ash content as per following scheme:
In India, semi coking coal has been categorized or graded on the basis of ash and moisture content as per following scheme:
During 2024-25, India’s total coking coal production was 66.5 million tonnes, predominantly comprising 34.3 million tonnes of Washery Grade IV and 19.8 million tonnes of Washery Grade V coal
Figures in million tonnes
| Year | Steel I | Steel II | SC 1 | Wash I | Wash II | Wash III | Wash IV | Wash V | Wash VI | Total Coking Coal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 34.3 | 19.8 | 0.1 | 66.5 |
| 2023-24 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 4.6 | 35.6 | 21.2 | 0.5 | 66.8 |
| 2022-23 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 3.8 | 2.6 | 31.2 | 22.5 | 0.2 | 60.8 |
| 2021-22 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 25.7 | 20.2 | 1.3 | 51.7 |
| 2020-21 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 2.4 | 1.8 | 26.9 | 12.8 | 0.4 | 44.8 |
| 2019-20 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 2.3 | 7.4 | 33.1 | 9.6 | 0.0 | 52.9 |
| 2018-19 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 4.3 | 6.6 | 29.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 41.1 |
| 2017-18 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 31.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 40.1 |
| 2016-17 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 3.4 | 10.8 | 46.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 61.7 |
| 2015-16 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 2.5 | 13.0 | 43.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 60.9 |
For the benefit of readers, we capture the list of coal washeries in India. The latest total capacity of the coal washeries is 263.57 MTPA
Majority of the washeries cater to non-coking coal washing, but there are certain washeries catering to coking-coal
Almost the entire coking coal production in India is in the state of Jharkhand (India's coking coal production in 2024-25: 66.47 million tonnes, production in Jharkhand: 66.12 million tonnes, or ~99.5%). Hence barring one, all the washeries catering to coking-coal are in Jharkhand
