[SMM Daily Brief Review of Coking Coal and Coke] 20260401

Published: Apr 1, 2026 16:27
[SMM Daily Brief Review of Coking Coal and Coke] In terms of supply, most coke producers maintained relatively stable operating rates, and downstream buyers showed moderate enthusiasm for coke procurement, with smooth shipments from coke producers and no obvious inventory pressure for the time being. On the demand side, steel mills were currently in the stage of blast furnace production resumptions, increasing rigid demand for coke, but no significant improvement was seen in end-use demand for finished steel products, market sentiment weakened, and steel mills' purchase willingness declined somewhat. In summary, the first round of coke price increases was officially implemented, but market sentiment pulled back recently, most steel mills had moderate coke inventories, the coke supply-demand structure gradually shifted toward balance, and the coke market may remain generally stable with slight rise in the short term.

[SMM Daily Brief Review on Coking Coal and Coke]

Coking coal market:

Linfen low-sulphur coking coal was quoted at 1,600 yuan/mt. Tangshan low-sulphur coking coal was quoted at 1,560 yuan/mt.

Coking coal, recent coal mine supply was normal, shipments continued to improve, and some high-quality coking coal and fat coal saw tight supply. However, some downstream enterprises became less accepting of high-priced coking coal, procurement pace slowed down, and wait-and-see sentiment began to emerge. In the short term, coking coal prices may remain generally stable with slight rise.

Coke market:

The nationwide average price of first-grade metallurgical coke (dry quenching) was 1,790 yuan/mt. The nationwide average price of quasi-first-grade metallurgical coke (dry quenching) was 1,650 yuan/mt. The nationwide average price of first-grade metallurgical coke (wet quenching) was 1,440 yuan/mt. The nationwide average price of quasi-first-grade metallurgical coke (wet quenching) was 1,350 yuan/mt.

In terms of supply, most coke enterprises maintained relatively stable operating rates, and downstream buyers showed moderate enthusiasm for coke procurement, allowing coke enterprises to ship smoothly, with no obvious inventory pressure for the time being. Demand side, steel mills were currently in the blast furnace production resumption stage, increasing rigid demand for coke, but no clear improvement was seen in end-use demand for finished steel products, market sentiment weakened, and steel mills' purchase willingness declined. In summary, the first round of coke price increase was officially implemented, but market sentiment recently pulled back, most steel mills maintained moderate coke inventory, and the coke supply-demand structure gradually shifted toward balance. In the short term, the coke market may remain generally stable with slight rise. [SMM Steel]

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM‘s internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

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[SMM Daily Brief Review of Coking Coal and Coke] 20260401 - Shanghai Metals Market (SMM)