Petroleum coke
Overview
Used in the manufacturing of metals, for power generation and in the production of numerous other products including glass, paint and fertilizers, petcoke is widely used. As the energy transition drives markets around the world to search for ways to reduce carbon emissions, the outlook for Petroleum coke remains uncertain.
Gain transparency into the evolving international petcoke markets with weekly and monthly prices, expert analysis and global market-moving news for fuel-grade and anode-grade petroleum coke.
Latest petroleum coke news
Browse the latest market moving news on the global petcoke industry.
GrafTech to shutter Monterrey electrode plant
GrafTech to shutter Monterrey electrode plant
Pittsburgh, 1 September (Argus) — GrafTech will permanently close its graphite electrode production facility in Monterrey, Mexico, to align capacity with market demand amid continued global overcapacity The Brooklyn Heights, Ohio-based company will wind down operations at the Monterrey site in phases, with production to end early in the second quarter of 2027, GrafTech said. The closure aims to improve manufacturing utilization, cut costs and concentrate output at GrafTech's larger and more efficient facilities. Annual graphite electrode capacity will fall by 51,000 metric tonnes (t) to 127,000t following the shutdown. The decrease includes 35,000t from Monterrey and a 16,000t reduction at the firm's Pamplona, Spain, facility because of changes in its production mix to provide full pin stock requirements. GrafTech will transfer pin stock production — currently centered in Monterrey — to its Pamplona facility. Remaining graphite electrode output will come from its Calais, France facility. The company expects annual cost savings of $20mn-25mn, excluding one-off closure costs of $20mn-25mn for equipment relocation, facility closure and employee-related items. The graphite electrode sector has experienced persistent overcapacity from China and India, outstripping demand growth and weighing on prices and profitability for several years. Greater supply discipline is required for a healthier industry and more balanced market conditions, GrafTech said. Graphite electrodes are essential for electric arc furnace steelmakers because they conduct the electricity needed to melt scrap, other metallic feedstocks and non-ferrous metals. GrafTech will maintain its North American footprint through vertically integrated petroleum needle coke operations in Seadrift, Texas, and its electrode machining and distribution site in Saint Marys, Pennsylvania. The Saint Marys facility will continue to support GrafTech's carbon and graphite offerings for energy storage and battery markets, even though graphite electrode production there was idled in 2024 and will remain idle after the transition. By Brad MacAulay Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
UK sets out schemes eligible for CBAM price relief
UK sets out schemes eligible for CBAM price relief
London, 27 August (Argus) — The UK government today published a non-exhaustive list of schemes that will qualify as a carbon price already paid in the country of origin for goods imported under its upcoming carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM). The list currently includes the emissions trading systems (ETSs) of the EU, China, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Montenegro, New Zealand and Switzerland, as well as carbon taxes in Chile, Serbia, Singapore and South Africa, the Australian safeguard mechanism, Canada's federal output-based pricing system, India's carbon credit trading scheme, and Taiwan's carbon fee. The government will publish an update "in due course" as further schemes are assessed, it said, as it is "aware" that some regional schemes may already meet the criteria it set out last month , while other schemes in development could qualify in the future. To claim relief on their UK CBAM obligations, importers must first calculate the effective carbon price already paid by taking the total installation emissions and identifying how many were subject to the different elements of the qualifying pricing scheme — the headline price payable, any additional price beyond this, free allowances received, payments for greenhouse gas removals, and the thresholds above or below which emissions are charged. The emissions subject to each element are then multiplied by the price per tonne of CO2 equivalent for each element in the previous calendar quarter — using a mean average if the price is not fixed — and added together. The total figure is then divided by the original total installation emissions. Carbon price relief is then calculated by multiplying the effective carbon price by the embodied emissions covered by the scheme for the relevant goods. This amount is converted into pounds sterling and subtracted from the CBAM liability. UK CBAM will start on 1 January 2027, applying an effective carbon price to specified goods imported into the UK in the aluminium, cement, fertiliser, hydrogen, iron and steel sectors. By Kiara Campagne Nieva Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
US extends but narrows Jones Act waiver
US extends but narrows Jones Act waiver
New York, 10 August (Argus) — President Donald Trump's administration said it will continue to waive domestic shipping requirements under the Jones Act for another 90 days, albeit with stronger oversight than the previous waiver. The waiver, first enacted 17 March, will now require the Department of Defense to consult with the US Maritime Administration (MARAD) on the availability of Jones Act vessels prior to an individual shipping voyage before determining whether the waiver can be applied, a White House official told Argus . This marks a shift from the waiver's current iteration, valid through 16 August, that relies on the vessel operator or charterer documenting their reasoning. As of 7 August, MARAD data show that around half of the reasons given for the 212 documented Jones Act waiver voyages simply cite the shipment's coverage under the waiver, while only 19 entries mention Jones Act vessels not being available. The new waiver still covers most products that were covered previously, such as diesel, gasoline, crude, soybean oil and fertilizers, but coal and coal-derived products are no longer allowed, according to the official. US-based shipping groups expressed strong opposition to a waiver extension, particularly under the existing blanket waiver authority used since March. "The government can respond to a genuine emergency without turning an exceptional waiver into a standing invitation for foreign operators to enter routine domestic commerce," former US federal maritime commissioner William Doyle said in an op-ed in the Washington Examiner on 10 August. The Trump administration issued the waiver of the Jones Act — which allowed foreign flagged and owned vessels to carry US-to-US shipments in place of US-flagged, US-owned and US-crewed vessels — on 17 March on national security grounds under section 501a and later extended it by 90 days. But some of the voyages conducted under the waiver have been criticized by the domestic maritime industry as not serving any national security purpose . The waiver was issued to ensure US airfields and military installations are properly supplied with fuel, but has otherwise been highly popular with US refiners. Republican lawmakers urged Trump in July to restore the Jones Act, calling the waiver "a loophole exploited by adversarial countries to erode America's maritime dominance". By Charlotte Bawol Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
US Gulf fob 6.5pc sulphur petroleum coke rebounds
US Gulf fob 6.5pc sulphur petroleum coke rebounds
Houston, 20 July (Argus) — The fob US Gulf 6.5pc sulphur petroleum coke price rebounded to a six-week high last week following a handful of deals concluded in the high $70s/metric tonne (t) to low $80s/t. At the same time, however, rising freight costs following renewed hostilities between the US and Iran are keeping pressure on fob netbacks. The Argus fob 6.5pc sulphur assessment increased by $3/t on the week of 15 July to $78/t, the highest price for this grade since 3 June, and which was the largest week-on-week increase in the assessment since 11 March, shortly after the US-Israel war on Iran first began, when the price jumped by $9/t. Interest in US-origin coke may have risen because of concerns about a more extended lack of Saudi Arabian supply in the market. But sentiment as to market direction continues to vary widely. While some deals were done at significantly higher levels last week, other trades continued to close in the mid-$70s/t, even for some higher-quality grades. One refinery was heard to have sold at $75/t last week, $4/t lower than the sales price for a high-sulphur August-loading 50,000t cargo from another US Gulf refinery. A trader sold a cargo of 5.3pc sulphur dry-basis coke to the Mediterranean also at a netback in the mid-$70s/t. And offers to a Central American buyer were heard in the mid-$70s/t as well. Mid-sulphur premium shrinks The fob 4.5pc sulphur coke assessment also rose during the week but only by 50¢/t, which eroded its premium to 6.5pc sulphur coke to $3.50/t. This was down from $6/t a week earlier and the narrowest spread between the two grades since late-July 2025. Increased production of this grade in the US Gulf may be contributing to the slower ascent and recently pressured the 4.5pc sulphur price to a four-month low. The jump in freight costs following the latest developments in the Middle East is putting additional pressure on fob levels. The US Gulf-to-west coast India freight rate hit on 15 July its highest level since assessments began in late 2023, reaching almost $61/t, although it has since dipped again in recent days. The US Gulf-to-China route peaked at $65.45/t on 15 July but was assessed at $63.60/t on 20 July, still higher than it had been prior to the end of the US-Iran ceasefire on 8 July. By Hadley Medlock Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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