Non-coking coal produced in India is graded by its GCV into seventeen grades, G1 to G17. Each grade is a band of 300 kcal/kg: G1 is coal with a GCV above 7,000 kcal/kg, and G17 is coal between 2,201 and 2,500 kcal/kg. This GCV-based system replaced the older grading based on Useful Heat Value (UHV).
Coking coal is graded differently — by its ash content, into steel grades and washery grades.
These grades are the language of the coal companies' sale terms: the grade a mine or siding is declared at, and the grade you bid for in an auction.
What it means if you trade coal
Use the G-grade where the coal companies use it — at purchase, in auctions and on the SODO. After that, trade on the GCV the lab actually reports: a customer pays for the heat in the coal they receive, not for the grade printed on the purchase.
Sources
- OfficialMinistry of Coal — Coal grades
A summary of the official information above — the source is authoritative. Last checked: 22 September 2026.
