Thermal Coal Price in China Rises 8.8% to USD 144.96/tonne
Domestic supply constraints and steady import flows have pushed Chinese thermal coal to its highest level in a year.
Thermal coal in China was quoted at USD 144.96/tonne as of 8 September 2026, up 8.8% from USD 133.21/tonne a week earlier. The price is up 14.0% over the month from USD 127.16/tonne and 12.3% over the quarter from USD 129.04/tonne. On a yearly basis the increase stands at 42.8%, from USD 101.51/tonne on 8 September 2025. The quote marks the 52-week high, against a low of USD 99.67/tonne recorded on 5 January 2026.
Claight market monitoring shows that raw coal production by industrial enterprises above designated size fell 2.9% year-on-year during the January to July period, contributing to the lowest monthly national raw coal output since September 2021. Shanxi province recorded a production decline of over 10% year-on-year and nearly 10% month-on-month in July, which Claight attributes to stringent safety supervision.
According to the General Administration of Customs of China, the country imported 42.092 million tonnes of coal and lignite in August, a month-on-month decrease of 1.49% from July.
Claight market monitoring also shows that the Bohai-Rim Thermal Coal Price Index closed at 720 RMB/tonne in early September, rising by 3 RMB/tonne week-on-week.