Coal, explained plainly

Market data · 1 September 2026

Coal India: July production up 8.4%; August supplies up 5.5%

Policy · 8 July 2026

₹37,500 crore scheme for surface coal/lignite gasification: applications invited

Policy · 9 June 2026

Coal Exchange Rules, 2026 published

How a coal deal moves: from purchase to collection

The usual path of a load — buy, lift, move, receive, stock, sell, dispatch, deliver, bill, collect, settle, reconcile — and where it most often goes wrong.

What is GCV in coal?

Gross Calorific Value — the heat a coal gives when it burns, and the number that most decides what non-coking coal is worth.

G1 to G17: how non-coking coal is graded in India

The Ministry of Coal grades non-coking coal into 17 GCV bands. Where that grading applies — and where traders deal in GCV itself.

Ash, moisture and proximate analysis

The four numbers on most coal lab reports — moisture, ash, volatile matter and fixed carbon — and why moisture changes everything else.

Coal sampling and testing

A lab result is only as good as the sample behind it. How coal is sampled, and why disputes usually start there.

ARB, ADB and dry basis: why the same coal shows different numbers

As received, air-dried, dry — the basis a lab reports on changes the GCV and ash you see. How to compare two reports fairly.

GCV vs UHV: how India's coal grading changed

Why non-coking coal in India is graded by GCV (G1–G17) today, and what the older UHV-based grades were.

Quality claims, deductions and rejection

When the lab result doesn't match the deal: how quality claims usually arise, how deductions are worked out, and what makes a claim hold up.

Coal e-auction, SODO and lifting

How buyers get coal from the coal companies through e-auction, what the SODO is, and why lifting validity matters.

Weighment, shortage and transit loss

Why the weight at unloading rarely matches the weight at loading, what usually causes the gap, and what evidence settles it.

Coal stock reconciliation: book stock vs what's in the yard

Why the register and the heap disagree, how to compare them fairly, and why keeping stock by lot makes the gap explainable.

Coal blending: how a blended GCV is worked out

Mixing two coals to meet a customer's specification — the weighted-average arithmetic, and why the lab test after blending still decides.

LR, POD and the e-way bill: the papers that move with coal

What each document proves, who issues it, and why keeping them with the trip settles most transport disputes.

Transporter settlement: freight, advances, deductions, TDS

How a transporter's bill is usually settled, what gets adjusted, and which parts need your CA.

Outstanding, ageing and on-account payments

What customers owe, how long it's been owed, and how advances, short payments and adjustments change the picture.

GST in a coal business: what your records do, and what the portal does

The division of labour that confuses most coal traders — registers and reports are built from your own records, while filing and anything read back from the portal happen on the government system.

Closing the month in a coal business: what has to tie out first

The handful of things that are usually still open when a coal trader tries to close a month — and why the statements mean nothing until each one is settled.

Coal India and its subsidiaries

The eight subsidiary companies of Coal India Limited, where they are based, and what each is.

Coal price benchmarks: Newcastle, Richards Bay and Indonesia's HBA

What the international coal benchmarks are, who publishes them, what they are based on — and why a domestic auction price is a different thing.

A short history of coal in India

From Raniganj in 1774 to nationalisation, Coal India, GCV grading, single-window e-auctions and coal exchanges — the milestones that shaped today's coal trade.