Si14Critical-Minerals.si
    All minerals
    MC
    Metallurgical Coal
    AdequateEnergy & agricultureMinimal

    Metallurgical Coal

    Coking coal used to make the coke that reduces iron ore to steel. Added to the US list in 2025 and listed by the EU.

    Supply risk index
    26
    / 100
    Top producer
    n/a
    China share
    n/a
    US import reliance
    —
    World output 2025
    W / n.a.
    On national lists
    3 / 10
    Why it matters for AI infrastructure
    Minimal — No meaningful direct role in AI infrastructure

    Indirect — steel for structures and transformers.

    Construction & facilities
    Adequate
    Diversified, well-supplied market

    USGS does not collect metallurgical coal data.

    Who calls it critical

    Membership on each government list. “Strategic” marks a higher tier where the list has one; “group” means included as part of a group such as rare earths or PGMs.

    US
    United States
    U.S. Geological Survey (Dept. of the Interior) · 2025
    critical    DOE
    United States (DOE)
    U.S. Department of Energy · 2023
    critical    EU
    European Union
    European Commission — Critical Raw Materials Act (Reg. 2024/1252) · 2024
    critical
    GB
    United Kingdom
    Not listed
    CN
    China
    Not listed
    JP
    Japan
    Not listed
    KR
    South Korea
    Not listed
    IN
    India
    Not listed
    AU
    Australia
    Not listed
    CA
    Canada
    Not listed

    Metallurgical Coal: key questions

    Where is metallurgical coal mined or produced?
    Country-level production data for Metallurgical Coal is limited or withheld in USGS statistics.
    Is metallurgical coal a critical mineral?
    Metallurgical Coal appears on 3 of the 10 official lists we track (United States, United States (DOE), European Union).
    Is metallurgical coal in short supply?
    Our supply status: Adequate. USGS does not collect metallurgical coal data.
    Why does metallurgical coal matter for AI infrastructure?
    Indirect — steel for structures and transformers.

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