The Quarterly Coal Report (QCR) provides detailed quarterly data on U.S. coal production, exports, imports, receipts, prices, consumption, quality, stocks, and refined coal. The report also provides data on U.S. coke production, consumption, stocks, imports, and exports. All data for 2020 and previous years are final. All data for 2021 are preliminary.

Highlights for the third quarter of 2021

• U.S. coal production during the third quarter of 2021 totaled 148.3 million short tons (MMst), which was 3.9% higher than the previous quarter and 9.1% higher than the third quarter of 2020. Production in the Western Region, which represented about 60% of total U.S. coal production in the third quarter of 2021, totaled about 89 MMst (13% higher than the third quarter of 2020).
• U.S. coal exports for the third quarter of 2021 (20.7 MMst) decreased 6.4% from the second quarter of 2021. The average price of U.S. coal exports during the third quarter of 2021 was $113.95 per short ton.
• The United States continued to import coal primarily from Colombia (50.6%), Canada (25.3%), and Indonesia (10.3%). No imports from Australia were recorded for the third quarter of 2021. U.S. coal imports in the third quarter of 2021 totaled 1.1 MMst. The average price of U.S. coal imports during the third quarter of 2021 was $95.84 per short ton.
• Steam coal exports totaled 9.3 MMst (10.7% lower than the second quarter of 2021). Metallurgical coal exports totaled 11.4 MMst (2.6% lower than the second quarter of 2021).
• U.S. coal consumption totaled 167.9 MMst in the third quarter of 2021, which was 34.7% higher than the 124.6 MMst reported in the second quarter of 2021 and 13.2% higher than the 148.3 MMst reported in the third quarter of 2020. The electric power sector accounted for about 93.5% of the total U.S. coal consumption in the third quarter of 2021.
• In the third quarter of 2021, coal stocks dropped to 108.6 MMst from 141.6 MMst at the end of the second quarter of 2021 (a 23.3% decrease). Stocks in the electric power sector decreased to 80.4 MMst from 110.9 MMst at the end of the second quarter of 2021—the first time stocks have dipped below 100 MMst since the first quarter of 2019.