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 third quarter of 2020

• U.S. coal production during the third quarter of 2020 totaled 135.8 million short tons (MMst), which was 17.9% higher than the previous quarter and 25.2% lower than the third quarter of 2019. Production in the Western region, which represented about 58% of total U.S. coal production in the third quarter of 2020, totaled about 78.8 MMst (22.9% lower than the third quarter of 2019).
• U.S. coal exports for the third quarter of 2020 (15.3 MMst) increased 3.2% from the second quarter of 2020. The average price of U.S. coal exports during the third quarter of 2020 was $89.18 per short ton.
• The United States continued to import coal primarily from Colombia (74.8%), Indonesia (10.3%), and Canada (9.2%). No imports from Australia were recorded for the third quarter of 2020. U.S. coal imports in the third quarter of 2020 totaled 1.3 MMst. The average price of U.S. coal imports during the third quarter of 2020 was $69.34 per short ton.
• Steam coal exports totaled 5.1 MMst (12.2% lower than the second quarter of 2020). Metallurgical coal exports totaled 10.2 MMst (13.1% higher than the second quarter of 2020).
• U.S. coal consumption totaled 148.4 MMst in the third quarter of 2020, which was 54% higher than the 96.4 MMst reported in the second quarter of 2020 and 11.3% lower than the 167.2 MMst reported in the third quarter of 2019. The electric power sector accounted for about 93.8% of the total U.S. coal consumption in the third quarter of 2020.
• In the third quarter of 2020, coal stocks dropped to 161.7 MMst from 185.2 MMst at the end of the second quarter of 2020 (a 12.7% decrease). Stocks in the electric power sector decreased to 129.1 MMst from 150.4 MMst at the end of the second quarter of 2020, the first decrease since the end of third-quarter 2019.