Coal Trading
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams.Coal Trading Around the Globe
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dead plant matter decays into peat and is converted into coal by the heat and pressure of deep burial over millions of years.
China mines almost half the world's coal, followed by India with about a tenth. Australia accounts for about a third of world coal exports, followed by Indonesia and Russia; while the largest importers are Japan and India. The price of metallurgical coal is volatile and much higher than the price of thermal coal because metallurgical coal must be lower in sulfur and requires more cleaning.
Coal futures contracts provide coal producers and the electric power industry an important tool for hedging and risk management.
At Global Trading can help source the right coal for your needs and requirements at a competitive price.Types of Coal
As geological processes apply pressure to dead biotic material over time, under suitable conditions, its metamorphic grade or rank increases successively into:
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Peat
- A precursor of coal. Lignite
- A brown coal, the lowest rank of coal. Used almost exclusively as fuel for electric power generation. Sub-bituminous Coal
- Properties range between those of lignite and those of bituminous coal, is used primarily as fuel for steam-electric power generation. Cannel Coal
- Also called "candle coal" and is a variety of fine-grained, high-rank coal with significant hydrogen content, which consists primarily of liptinite.
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Bituminous Coal
- A dense sedimentary rock, usually black, but sometimes dark brown. It is used primarily as fuel in steam-electric power generation and to make coke. Known as steam coal in the UK, and historically used to raise steam in steam locomotives and ships Anthracite
- The highest rank of coal, is a harder, glossy black coal used primarily for residential and commercial space heating. Graphite
- Difficult to ignite and not commonly used as fuel; it is most used in pencils, or powdered for lubrication.
There are several international standards for coal. The classification of coal is generally based on the content of volatiles. However the most important distinction is between thermal coal (also known as steam coal), which is burnt to generate electricity via steam; and metallurgical coal (also known as coking coal), which is burnt at high temperature to make steel.
Coal
The price of metallurgical coal is volatile and much higher than the price of thermal coal because metallurgical coal must be lower in sulfur and requires more cleaning. Make an equiry of your desired coal and quantity and we will get back to you as soon as we can.