The Quarterly Coal Report (QCR) provides detailed quarterly data on U.S. coal production, exports, imports, receipts, prices, consumption, quality, stocks, and refined coal. Data on U.S. coke production, consumption, stocks, imports, and exports are also provided. All data for 2019 and previous years are final. All data for 2020 are preliminary.

Highlights for the second quarter of 2020

• U.S. coal production during the second quarter of 2020 totaled 115.2 million short tons (MMst), which was 22.7% lower than the previous quarter and 35.9% lower than the second quarter of 2019. Production in the Western region, which represented about 57.9% of total U.S. coal production in the second quarter of 2020, totaled about 66.7 MMst (29.7% lower than the second quarter of 2019).
• U.S. coal exports for the second quarter of 2020 (14.8 MMst) decreased 26% from the first quarter of 2020. The average price of U.S. coal exports during the second quarter of 2020 was $91.37 per short ton.
• The United States continued to import coal primarily from Colombia (63.3%), Indonesia (12.7%), and Canada (12.6%). No imports from Australia were recorded for the second quarter of 2019. U.S. coal imports in the second quarter of 2020 totaled 1.1 MMst. The average price of U.S. coal imports during the second quarter of 2020 was $80.42 per short ton.
• Steam coal exports totaled 5.8 MMst (30.5% lower than the first quarter of 2020). Metallurgical coal exports totaled 9 MMst (22.8% lower than the first quarter of 2020).
• U.S. coal consumption totaled 96.4 MMst in the second quarter of 2020, which was 11.8% lower than the 109.3 MMst reported in the first quarter of 2020 and 25.6% lower than the 129.6 MMst reported in the second quarter of 2019. The electric power sector accounted for about 90.5% of the total U.S. coal consumption in the second quarter of 2020.
• In the second quarter of 2020, coal stocks grew to 180.1 MMst from 175.8 MMst at the end of the first quarter of 2020 (a 2.5% increase). Stocks in the electric power sector increased to 150.7 MMst from 145.5 MMst at the end of the first quarter of 2020, the third consecutive increase since third quarter of 2019.