US thermal coal exports jumped to a 20-month high in June, reflecting continued interest from South Korea and Japan in sub-bituminous coal and increased early summer demand elsewhere.
A little over 4.5mn short tons (st) (4.1mn metric tonnes) of US steam coal and anthracite left the country during the month, the US Commerce Department reported today. A year earlier, the US exported 2.9mn st of thermal coal and anthracite.
The last time US steam coal exports were higher than in June was in October 2024. June also was the fourth consecutive month that exports were higher than they had been a year earlier.
Sub-bituminous coal again led the increase in overall US thermal coal exports, rising to high of 895,611st in June from 267,970st a year earlier. June's sub-bituminous coal exports were the highest since December 2013.
Nearly all of the US sub-bituminous coal exports went to South Korea and Japan, with utilities in both countries gearing up for projected stronger summer cooling demand and looking to offset tighter Indonesian coal export availability.
A trace amount of US sub-bituminous coal went to Canada and Mexico in June.
Exports of US bituminous coal and most other thermal coal also increased in June from a year earlier. Exports to Asia increased, with greater bituminous thermal coal shipments to Japan and Thailand more than offseting a dip in shipments to India and Pakistan.
India, however, was still the largest destination for US thermal coal, with 1.06mn st of bituminous thermal coal being listed as heading to India in June, compared with 1.15mn st a year earlier.
US thermal coal exports to Europe climbed for a third month, to 573,666st from 36,537st. Most of the coal was headed to the Netherlands, possibly reflecting some utility inventory re-stocking at Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp ports around the start of the summer.
June's increased exports to some countries also may have reflected deals made at times when seaborne prices and demand spiked because of concerns that the blockade of the strait of Hormuz was restricting natural gas and other energy commodity movements. US coal producer Alliance Resource Partners' chief executive office Joseph Craft on 27 July reported adding 2.7mn st of exports for 2026-28 to its contractual commitments during a "brief period" of the second quarter "when export pricing presented attractive opportunities".
US steam coal exports to north Africa — namely Morocco and Egypt — increased in June from a year earlier. Exports to Morocco rose after two months of year-on-year declines, rising to 780,767st from 520,481st.
The US also exported thermal coal to Kenya in June.
Within the Americas, more US steam coal was headed to Argentina, Brazil, Canada and Mexico in June when compared with a year earlier. But overall US thermal coal exports to Central and South America fell, to a little under 222,222st in June from 289,747st in the same month of 2025, on the back of lower shipments to the Dominican Republic and Chile.
