Australian Coal Production & Export Statistics

The Australian Coal Ledger · quarterly statistics

Australian Coal Production & Export Statistics

Name: Australian Coal Production and Export Statistics
Creator: Mining Capital Funds
Published: 2026-08-28
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Every quarter of Australia's coal output since 1990, split by state and by mine type, with exports by grade, destination and value — taken straight from the federal Resources and Energy Quarterly.

By Clint Zahmel, Mining Capital Funds

Source: Resources and Energy Quarterly, Office of the Chief Economist
Edition: June 2026
Covers: 1990 Q1 → 2026 Q1
State splits: to 2025 Q3
Licence: CC BY 4.0

Saleable output · 12 months411Mtto 2026 Q1, all states

Exported · 12 months355Mt41% metallurgical

Export earnings63.0A$b12 months to 2026 Q1

Queensland share56%of output in the 12 months to 2025 Q3, against 43% for NSW

By state

Saleable coal, the product that leaves the mine gate.

Two states produce 99 per cent of Australia's coal

Australia produced 411 million tonnes of saleable coal in the twelve months to 2026 Q1. The state breakdown is published two quarters behind that: over the twelve months to 2025 Q3, Queensland accounted for 227.7 million tonnes and New South Wales 175.0 million tonnes, together 99 per cent of the 408 million tonnes produced in that window. Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania contribute under 5 million tonnes between them, nearly all of it used within Australia.

Saleable coal production by state

million tonnes per quarter

State and mine-type series run to 2025 Q3, two quarters behind the national total, and the department marks them as estimates. The national total for 2026 Q1 is 411 million tonnes.

Saleable coal production by state, million tonnes per quarter
Quarter	Queensland	New South Wales	Western Australia	South Australia	Tasmania	States total
2025 Q3	57.80	41.39	1.25	0.00	0.09	100.5
2025 Q2	56.75	45.52	1.25	0.00	0.09	103.6
2025 Q1	53.92	41.51	1.25	0.00	0.09	96.8
2024 Q4	59.23	46.61	1.25	0.00	0.09	107.2
2024 Q3	58.90	47.90	1.25	0.00	0.09	108.1
2024 Q2	61.53	40.67	1.25	0.00	0.09	103.5
2024 Q1	61.57	42.42	1.25	0.00	0.09	105.3
2023 Q4	59.58	46.63	1.25	0.00	0.09	107.5
2023 Q3	58.73	44.16	1.25	0.00	0.09	104.2
2023 Q2	57.93	46.86	1.25	0.00	0.09	106.1
2023 Q1	56.16	40.07	1.25	0.00	0.09	97.6
2022 Q4	57.39	41.63	1.25	0.00	0.09	100.4
2022 Q3	59.96	38.63	1.25	0.00	0.09	99.9
2022 Q2	62.46	44.75	1.30	0.00	0.09	108.6
2022 Q1	63.22	39.15	1.30	0.00	0.09	103.8
2021 Q4	63.52	44.91	1.30	0.00	0.09	109.8
2021 Q3	62.89	48.94	1.30	0.00	0.09	113.2
2021 Q2	64.42	46.73	1.32	0.00	0.09	112.6
2021 Q1	58.88	42.52	1.32	0.00	0.09	102.8
2020 Q4	57.06	48.59	1.32	0.00	0.09	107.1
2020 Q3	60.40	48.35	1.32	0.00	0.09	110.2
2020 Q2	63.68	53.40	1.44	0.00	0.09	118.6
2020 Q1	63.11	45.87	1.60	0.00	0.09	110.7
2019 Q4	69.46	49.96	1.57	0.00	0.09	121.1
2019 Q3	66.67	50.44	1.58	0.00	0.09	118.8
2019 Q2	71.18	52.52	1.54	0.00	0.09	125.3
2019 Q1	67.24	47.67	1.54	0.00	0.09	116.5
2018 Q4	70.89	50.37	1.57	0.00	0.09	122.9
2018 Q3	68.63	46.06	1.63	0.00	0.09	116.4
2018 Q2	64.13	53.11	1.56	0.00	0.09	118.9
2018 Q1	59.24	48.57	1.72	0.00	0.09	109.6
2017 Q4	61.62	46.67	1.66	0.00	0.09	110.0
2017 Q3	63.64	45.93	1.75	0.00	0.09	111.4
2017 Q2	52.36	51.37	1.67	0.00	0.09	105.5
2017 Q1	59.28	47.85	1.74	0.00	0.09	109.0
2016 Q4	63.54	48.82	1.75	0.00	0.09	114.2
2016 Q3	62.50	50.12	1.65	0.00	0.09	114.4
2016 Q2	59.37	47.80	1.59	0.00	0.09	108.9
2016 Q1	55.70	48.50	1.75	0.00	0.09	106.0
2015 Q4	60.41	46.49	1.77	0.42	0.09	109.2
2015 Q3	62.15	48.54	1.78	0.42	0.09	113.0
2015 Q2	63.54	46.87	1.66	0.75	0.09	112.9
2015 Q1	53.33	49.03	1.74	0.75	0.09	104.9
2014 Q4	60.73	46.09	1.64	0.62	0.09	109.2
2014 Q3	61.99	54.43	1.64	0.62	0.09	118.8
2014 Q2	55.86	49.57	1.57	0.62	0.09	107.7
2014 Q1	55.42	48.19	1.57	0.62	0.09	105.9
2013 Q4	56.17	46.74	1.57	0.35	0.09	104.9
2013 Q3	57.53	52.13	1.57	0.35	0.09	111.7
2013 Q2	52.21	48.39	1.87	0.55	0.09	103.1
2013 Q1	45.95	43.13	1.87	0.55	0.09	91.6
2012 Q4	53.34	46.81	1.87	0.69	0.09	102.8
2012 Q3	51.19	47.22	1.87	0.69	0.09	101.1
2012 Q2	47.21	42.43	1.75	0.60	0.08	92.1
2012 Q1	42.81	39.88	1.75	0.60	0.08	85.1
2011 Q4	49.19	41.11	1.75	0.83	0.08	92.9
2011 Q3	49.04	43.76	1.75	0.83	0.08	95.4
2011 Q2	44.54	38.88	1.81	0.88	0.10	86.2
2011 Q1	35.73	38.93	1.81	0.88	0.10	77.4
2010 Q4	45.94	40.52	1.81	0.95	0.10	89.3
2010 Q3	53.62	38.63	1.81	0.95	0.10	95.1
2010 Q2	55.24	36.22	1.68	0.91	0.09	94.1
2010 Q1	47.30	34.38	1.68	0.91	0.09	84.4
2009 Q4	54.24	36.98	1.68	0.99	0.09	94.0
2009 Q3	52.16	39.72	1.68	0.99	0.09	94.6
2009 Q2	51.25	34.19	1.74	0.91	0.10	88.2
2009 Q1	39.45	31.30	1.74	0.91	0.10	73.5
2008 Q4	50.75	37.04	1.74	0.90	0.10	90.5
2008 Q3	49.00	35.27	1.74	0.90	0.10	87.0
2008 Q2	49.60	34.02	1.56	0.90	0.11	86.2
2008 Q1	38.59	32.26	1.56	0.90	0.11	73.4
2007 Q4	44.57	32.72	1.56	1.03	0.11	80.0
2007 Q3	47.76	35.97	1.56	1.03	0.11	86.4
2007 Q2	46.99	32.32	1.50	0.97	0.10	81.9
2007 Q1	44.21	31.70	1.50	0.97	0.10	78.5
2006 Q4	47.49	33.29	1.50	0.97	0.10	83.3
2006 Q3	45.39	33.57	1.50	0.97	0.10	81.5
2006 Q2	43.40	32.51	1.68	0.83	0.10	78.5
2006 Q1	40.52	28.91	1.68	0.83	0.10	72.0
2005 Q4	42.87	32.56	1.68	0.91	0.10	78.1
2005 Q3	44.90	30.63	1.65	0.91	0.11	78.2
2005 Q2	43.79	32.73	1.55	0.89	0.11	79.1
2005 Q1	41.65	28.29	1.55	0.89	0.11	72.5
2004 Q4	43.05	28.81	1.50	0.80	0.09	74.2
2004 Q3	45.21	30.01	1.50	0.80	0.09	77.6
2004 Q2	43.97	29.22	1.50	0.80	0.09	75.6
2004 Q1	36.35	26.96	1.50	0.80	0.09	65.7
2003 Q4	40.60	27.54	1.50	0.80	0.09	70.5
2003 Q3	39.27	30.52	1.50	0.80	0.09	72.2
2003 Q2	40.20	27.53	1.53	0.81	0.09	70.2
2003 Q1	38.27	27.69	1.53	0.81	0.09	68.4
2002 Q4	38.47	27.75	1.53	0.81	0.09	68.7
2002 Q3	36.66	28.56	1.53	0.81	0.09	67.7
2002 Q2	38.46	28.89	1.56	0.77	0.10	69.8
2002 Q1	38.05	26.65	1.56	0.77	0.10	67.1
2001 Q4	33.57	28.32	1.56	0.77	0.10	64.3
2001 Q3	38.50	30.43	1.56	0.77	0.10	71.4
2001 Q2	37.64	28.93	1.55	0.73	0.08	68.9
2001 Q1	33.13	26.30	1.55	0.73	0.08	61.8
2000 Q4	34.12	27.02	1.55	0.85	0.08	63.6
2000 Q3	33.39	27.99	1.55	0.85	0.08	63.9
2000 Q2	31.59	26.28	1.66	0.72	0.10	60.3
2000 Q1	29.89	24.54	1.66	0.72	0.10	56.9
1999 Q4	30.56	26.24	1.66	0.72	0.10	59.3
1999 Q3	32.30	28.13	1.66	0.72	0.10	62.9
1999 Q2	28.42	26.10	1.44	0.70	0.10	56.8
1999 Q1	29.22	25.58	1.44	0.70	0.10	57.0
1998 Q4	27.60	25.98	1.44	0.70	0.10	55.8
1998 Q3	27.39	25.76	1.44	0.70	0.10	55.4
1998 Q2	26.39	27.99	1.45	0.67	0.10	56.6
1998 Q1	25.79	26.20	1.45	0.67	0.10	54.2
1997 Q4	26.19	24.54	1.45	0.67	0.10	53.0
1997 Q3	27.39	28.98	1.45	0.67	0.10	58.6
1997 Q2	26.00	26.84	1.40	0.65	0.10	55.0
1997 Q1	24.20	23.79	1.40	0.65	0.10	50.1
1996 Q4	25.25	24.42	1.40	0.65	0.10	51.8
1996 Q3	24.00	24.43	1.40	0.65	0.10	50.6
1996 Q2	23.90	22.33	1.49	0.61	0.10	48.4
1996 Q1	22.61	22.89	1.49	0.61	0.10	47.7
1995 Q4	21.76	21.60	1.49	0.61	0.10	45.6
1995 Q3	25.49	25.12	1.49	0.61	0.10	52.8
1995 Q2	23.79	21.59	1.46	0.76	0.10	47.7
1995 Q1	23.11	21.65	1.46	0.76	0.10	47.1
1994 Q4	22.77	21.35	1.46	0.76	0.10	46.4
1994 Q3	24.83	24.00	1.46	0.76	0.10	51.1
1994 Q2	21.53	20.72	1.29	0.67	0.09	44.3
1994 Q1	20.06	19.78	1.29	0.67	0.09	41.9
1993 Q4	21.76	22.38	1.29	0.67	0.09	46.2
1993 Q3	22.39	21.13	1.29	0.67	0.09	45.6
1993 Q2	20.16	22.10	1.35	0.70	0.08	44.4
1993 Q1	21.90	19.72	1.35	0.70	0.08	43.7
1992 Q4	21.05	19.28	1.35	0.70	0.08	42.5
1992 Q3	22.18	23.11	1.35	0.70	0.08	47.4
1992 Q2	21.78	21.77	1.37	0.68	0.09	45.7
1992 Q1	21.27	20.85	1.37	0.68	0.09	44.3
1991 Q4	20.10	20.09	1.37	0.68	0.09	42.3
1991 Q3	20.93	21.16	1.37	0.68	0.09	44.2
1991 Q2	21.15	22.00	1.13	0.60	0.09	45.0
1991 Q1	16.91	18.02	1.26	0.60	0.09	36.9
1990 Q4	19.16	19.67	1.37	0.66	0.09	40.9
1990 Q3	21.14	20.43	1.45	0.67	0.09	43.8
1990 Q2	18.93	18.63	1.01	0.67	0.08	39.3
1990 Q1	17.84	18.90	1.11	0.70	0.12	38.7

Output

Raw coal is what comes out of the ground; saleable is what survives washing.

About 78 tonnes in every hundred mined is sold

Australian mines raised 527 million tonnes of raw coal in the twelve months to 2026 Q1 and sold 411 million tonnes of it, a yield of 78 per cent. The remainder is rock, ash and moisture removed at the washplant.

Australian coal, raw and saleable

million tonnes per quarter

Rejects and losses are raw output less saleable output. That difference covers washplant rejects and moisture, and is not a measure of waste alone.

Australian coal, raw and saleable, million tonnes per quarter
Quarter	Raw	Saleable	Rejects and losses	Yield
2026 Q1	131.29	102.84	28.45	78.3%
2025 Q4	132.77	103.99	28.77	78.3%
2025 Q3	130.34	100.54	29.80	77.1%
2025 Q2	132.80	103.61	29.19	78.0%
2025 Q1	125.97	96.77	29.19	76.8%
2024 Q4	137.84	107.19	30.65	77.8%
2024 Q3	138.33	108.14	30.19	78.2%
2024 Q2	133.41	103.54	29.87	77.6%
2024 Q1	136.18	105.34	30.85	77.3%
2023 Q4	136.45	107.55	28.90	78.8%
2023 Q3	133.61	104.23	29.38	78.0%
2023 Q2	134.99	106.13	28.85	78.6%
2023 Q1	124.51	97.57	26.94	78.4%
2022 Q4	129.18	100.36	28.83	77.7%
2022 Q3	131.04	99.93	31.11	76.3%
2022 Q2	139.40	108.61	30.79	77.9%
2022 Q1	134.65	103.76	30.89	77.1%
2021 Q4	141.92	109.82	32.10	77.4%
2021 Q3	144.61	113.23	31.39	78.3%
2021 Q2	144.60	112.56	32.04	77.8%
2021 Q1	132.68	102.81	29.87	77.5%
2020 Q4	135.81	107.07	28.74	78.8%
2020 Q3	138.67	110.16	28.51	79.4%
2020 Q2	151.01	118.61	32.39	78.5%
2020 Q1	141.99	110.66	31.32	77.9%
2019 Q4	153.69	121.08	32.61	78.8%
2019 Q3	151.33	118.78	32.54	78.5%
2019 Q2	159.94	125.33	34.61	78.4%
2019 Q1	148.72	116.53	32.19	78.4%
2018 Q4	156.54	122.91	33.63	78.5%
2018 Q3	150.65	116.41	34.25	77.3%
2018 Q2	152.71	118.88	33.83	77.8%
2018 Q1	137.35	109.62	27.73	79.8%
2017 Q4	139.55	110.04	29.51	78.9%
2017 Q3	145.05	111.41	33.64	76.8%
2017 Q2	137.15	105.49	31.66	76.9%
2017 Q1	137.47	108.96	28.51	79.3%
2016 Q4	144.89	114.19	30.69	78.8%
2016 Q3	147.93	114.36	33.56	77.3%
2016 Q2	141.92	108.86	33.06	76.7%
2016 Q1	132.37	106.04	26.34	80.1%
2015 Q4	147.62	109.18	38.44	74.0%
2015 Q3	145.84	112.97	32.86	77.5%
2015 Q2	146.63	112.91	33.72	77.0%
2015 Q1	131.85	104.92	26.92	79.6%
2014 Q4	137.84	109.17	28.67	79.2%
2014 Q3	151.03	118.77	32.27	78.6%
2014 Q2	142.31	107.71	34.61	75.7%
2014 Q1	139.62	105.88	33.74	75.8%
2013 Q4	134.57	104.93	29.65	78.0%
2013 Q3	145.54	111.68	33.86	76.7%
2013 Q2	141.73	103.12	38.61	72.8%
2013 Q1	120.99	91.59	29.40	75.7%
2012 Q4	136.54	102.81	33.74	75.3%
2012 Q3	133.99	101.06	32.92	75.4%
2012 Q2	123.99	92.06	31.93	74.2%
2012 Q1	109.34	85.12	24.22	77.8%
2011 Q4	123.83	92.95	30.88	75.1%
2011 Q3	126.06	95.45	30.61	75.7%
2011 Q2	117.10	86.20	30.90	73.6%
2011 Q1	101.88	77.44	24.43	76.0%
2010 Q4	114.06	89.32	24.74	78.3%
2010 Q3	125.37	95.11	30.27	75.9%
2010 Q2	123.28	94.14	29.15	76.4%
2010 Q1	109.68	84.37	25.31	76.9%
2009 Q4	121.61	93.98	27.63	77.3%
2009 Q3	121.18	94.64	26.54	78.1%
2009 Q2	113.94	88.19	25.75	77.4%
2009 Q1	98.68	73.50	25.18	74.5%
2008 Q4	118.25	90.53	27.72	76.6%
2008 Q3	114.76	87.01	27.75	75.8%
2008 Q2	112.11	86.19	25.92	76.9%
2008 Q1	92.24	73.43	18.81	79.6%
2007 Q4	103.53	79.99	23.54	77.3%
2007 Q3	114.73	86.43	28.30	75.3%
2007 Q2	106.97	81.90	25.07	76.6%
2007 Q1	99.84	78.49	21.35	78.6%
2006 Q4	105.47	83.35	22.12	79.0%
2006 Q3	104.30	81.53	22.77	78.2%
2006 Q2	102.73	78.52	24.21	76.4%
2006 Q1	93.78	72.04	21.74	76.8%
2005 Q4	101.97	78.12	23.85	76.6%
2005 Q3	102.47	78.20	24.27	76.3%
2005 Q2	101.75	79.07	22.68	77.7%
2005 Q1	95.05	72.49	22.56	76.3%
2004 Q4	96.36	74.24	22.12	77.0%
2004 Q3	99.21	77.61	21.60	78.2%
2004 Q2	92.14	75.57	16.57	82.0%
2004 Q1	88.21	65.69	22.52	74.5%
2003 Q4	90.06	70.53	19.53	78.3%
2003 Q3	92.46	72.18	20.28	78.1%
2003 Q2	87.46	70.16	17.31	80.2%
2003 Q1	89.59	68.40	21.19	76.3%
2002 Q4	86.99	68.65	18.34	78.9%
2002 Q3	86.46	67.65	18.80	78.2%
2002 Q2	88.84	69.78	19.06	78.5%
2002 Q1	84.88	67.13	17.75	79.1%
2001 Q4	81.66	64.32	17.34	78.8%
2001 Q3	89.76	71.37	18.39	79.5%
2001 Q2	84.32	68.93	15.39	81.7%
2001 Q1	78.27	61.79	16.48	78.9%
2000 Q4	77.83	63.63	14.20	81.8%
2000 Q3	81.07	63.87	17.20	78.8%
2000 Q2	75.88	60.34	15.54	79.5%
2000 Q1	69.46	56.90	12.56	81.9%
1999 Q4	73.93	59.28	14.65	80.2%
1999 Q3	79.39	62.91	16.48	79.2%
1999 Q2	68.59	56.76	11.83	82.8%
1999 Q1	71.33	57.04	14.29	80.0%
1998 Q4	74.07	55.83	18.24	75.4%
1998 Q3	70.31	55.38	14.92	78.8%
1998 Q2	71.20	56.61	14.59	79.5%
1998 Q1	68.83	54.21	14.62	78.8%
1997 Q4	65.66	52.95	12.71	80.6%
1997 Q3	72.94	58.59	14.35	80.3%
1997 Q2	68.75	54.98	13.76	80.0%
1997 Q1	62.63	50.13	12.49	80.1%
1996 Q4	64.72	51.81	12.91	80.1%
1996 Q3	65.24	50.57	14.67	77.5%
1996 Q2	60.52	48.44	12.07	80.1%
1996 Q1	59.70	47.71	11.99	79.9%
1995 Q4	57.68	45.56	12.12	79.0%
1995 Q3	65.13	52.82	12.31	81.1%
1995 Q2	58.85	47.70	11.16	81.0%
1995 Q1	58.08	47.08	10.99	81.1%
1994 Q4	57.83	46.43	11.39	80.3%
1994 Q3	62.48	51.14	11.34	81.8%
1994 Q2	55.72	44.30	11.42	79.5%
1994 Q1	51.83	41.90	9.93	80.8%
1993 Q4	57.45	46.20	11.25	80.4%
1993 Q3	56.50	45.58	10.92	80.7%
1993 Q2	55.66	44.38	11.28	79.7%
1993 Q1	54.56	43.75	10.81	80.2%
1992 Q4	53.80	42.46	11.34	78.9%
1992 Q3	58.49	47.41	11.08	81.1%
1992 Q2	56.29	45.69	10.60	81.2%
1992 Q1	55.54	44.26	11.28	79.7%
1991 Q4	52.30	42.33	9.97	80.9%
1991 Q3	54.11	44.23	9.88	81.7%
1991 Q2	54.75	44.97	9.79	82.1%
1991 Q1	46.04	36.88	9.16	80.1%
1990 Q4	50.04	40.94	9.10	81.8%
1990 Q3	53.85	43.78	10.07	81.3%
1990 Q2	49.52	39.33	10.19	79.4%
1990 Q1	46.81	38.67	8.14	82.6%

Underground against open cut

share of saleable production

Open cut mines produced 342 million tonnes against 65 million tonnes underground in the twelve months to 2025 Q3, a split of 84 to 16 per cent.

Saleable coal by mine type, million tonnes per quarter
Quarter	Open cut	Underground	Open cut share
2025 Q3	84.36	16.18	83.9%
2025 Q2	87.41	16.20	84.4%
2025 Q1	81.09	15.68	83.8%
2024 Q4	89.59	16.74	84.3%
2024 Q3	89.14	18.82	82.6%
2024 Q2	86.29	16.82	83.7%
2024 Q1	88.01	17.01	83.8%
2023 Q4	90.79	16.44	84.7%
2023 Q3	88.07	15.90	84.7%
2023 Q2	88.88	17.20	83.8%
2023 Q1	80.25	17.32	82.3%
2022 Q4	82.01	18.34	81.7%
2022 Q3	82.17	17.76	82.2%
2022 Q2	90.05	18.55	82.9%
2022 Q1	84.20	19.56	81.1%
2021 Q4	91.08	18.73	82.9%
2021 Q3	91.79	21.44	81.1%
2021 Q2	94.67	17.89	84.1%
2021 Q1	84.80	18.02	82.5%
2020 Q4	87.71	19.36	81.9%
2020 Q3	89.89	20.27	81.6%
2020 Q2	97.92	20.69	82.6%
2020 Q1	90.30	20.37	81.6%
2019 Q4	100.78	20.31	83.2%
2019 Q3	97.47	21.32	82.1%
2019 Q2	104.37	20.96	83.3%
2019 Q1	96.76	19.78	83.0%
2018 Q4	101.23	21.68	82.4%
2018 Q3	97.95	18.46	84.1%
2018 Q2	98.67	20.21	83.0%
2018 Q1	89.09	20.53	81.3%
2017 Q4	88.41	21.62	80.3%
2017 Q3	91.39	20.02	82.0%
2017 Q2	85.47	20.02	81.0%
2017 Q1	87.32	21.63	80.1%
2016 Q4	92.43	21.77	80.9%
2016 Q3	91.15	23.21	79.7%
2016 Q2	89.65	19.21	82.4%
2016 Q1	85.99	20.04	81.1%
2015 Q4	85.61	23.57	78.4%
2015 Q3	88.71	24.26	78.5%
2015 Q2	91.39	21.51	80.9%
2015 Q1	81.93	22.99	78.1%
2014 Q4	84.59	24.58	77.5%
2014 Q3	89.87	28.90	75.7%
2014 Q2	85.72	21.98	79.6%
2014 Q1	85.09	20.79	80.4%
2013 Q4	82.11	22.81	78.3%
2013 Q3	88.42	23.26	79.2%
2013 Q2	81.45	21.67	79.0%
2013 Q1	70.75	20.84	77.2%
2012 Q4	81.97	20.84	79.7%
2012 Q3	79.15	21.91	78.3%
2012 Q2	73.21	18.85	79.5%
2012 Q1	68.76	16.36	80.8%
2011 Q4	74.07	18.88	79.7%
2011 Q3	75.41	20.04	79.0%
2011 Q2	68.42	17.78	79.4%
2011 Q1	61.02	16.42	78.8%
2010 Q4	69.18	20.14	77.4%
2010 Q3	73.23	21.87	77.0%
2010 Q2	73.83	20.31	78.4%
2010 Q1	65.89	18.48	78.1%
2009 Q4	70.44	23.54	75.0%
2009 Q3	72.25	22.39	76.3%
2009 Q2	67.36	20.84	76.4%
2009 Q1	56.34	17.15	76.7%
2008 Q4	68.11	22.42	75.2%
2008 Q3	64.93	22.08	74.6%
2008 Q2	63.78	22.41	74.0%
2008 Q1	54.60	18.83	74.4%
2007 Q4	61.28	18.72	76.6%
2007 Q3	62.77	23.66	72.6%
2007 Q2	62.17	19.73	75.9%
2007 Q1	61.53	16.96	78.4%
2006 Q4	65.36	17.99	78.4%
2006 Q3	62.63	18.90	76.8%
2006 Q2	61.34	17.18	78.1%
2006 Q1	56.22	15.82	78.0%
2005 Q4	61.47	16.65	78.7%
2005 Q3	60.82	17.40	77.8%
2005 Q2	59.47	19.61	75.2%
2005 Q1	55.85	16.66	77.0%
2004 Q4	58.00	16.33	78.0%
2004 Q3	60.71	16.98	78.1%
2004 Q2	58.70	16.87	77.7%
2004 Q1	51.56	14.12	78.5%
2003 Q4	55.18	15.35	78.2%
2003 Q3	53.64	18.53	74.3%
2003 Q2	53.95	16.26	76.8%
2003 Q1	52.58	15.87	76.8%
2002 Q4	50.66	18.04	73.7%
2002 Q3	50.18	17.52	74.1%
2002 Q2	50.80	18.98	72.8%
2002 Q1	49.30	17.83	73.4%
2001 Q4	46.08	18.24	71.6%
2001 Q3	49.31	22.05	69.1%
2001 Q2	48.07	20.86	69.7%
2001 Q1	43.98	17.81	71.2%
2000 Q4	44.13	19.50	69.3%
2000 Q3	45.25	18.61	70.9%
2000 Q2	40.25	20.09	66.7%
2000 Q1	39.87	17.03	70.1%
1999 Q4	42.77	16.51	72.2%
1999 Q3	44.58	18.34	70.9%
1999 Q2	41.99	14.76	74.0%
1999 Q1	42.99	14.05	75.4%
1998 Q4	41.26	14.57	73.9%
1998 Q3	39.37	16.02	71.1%
1998 Q2	40.87	15.75	72.2%
1998 Q1	38.84	15.37	71.6%
1997 Q4	38.67	14.28	73.0%
1997 Q3	39.49	19.10	67.4%
1997 Q2	39.12	15.86	71.2%
1997 Q1	36.34	13.79	72.5%
1996 Q4	36.38	15.44	70.2%
1996 Q3	34.96	15.61	69.1%
1996 Q2	34.98	13.46	72.2%
1996 Q1	33.66	14.05	70.6%
1995 Q4	31.80	13.76	69.8%
1995 Q3	36.67	16.15	69.4%
1995 Q2	33.85	13.84	71.0%
1995 Q1	34.01	13.07	72.2%
1994 Q4	32.81	13.63	70.7%
1994 Q3	35.81	15.33	70.0%
1994 Q2	32.26	12.04	72.8%
1994 Q1	28.99	12.90	69.2%
1993 Q4	32.42	13.78	70.2%
1993 Q3	32.19	13.39	70.6%
1993 Q2	30.54	13.84	68.8%
1993 Q1	30.99	12.75	70.8%
1992 Q4	29.21	13.25	68.8%
1992 Q3	33.02	14.39	69.6%
1992 Q2	33.05	12.64	72.3%
1992 Q1	30.69	13.57	69.3%
1991 Q4	29.31	13.02	69.2%
1991 Q3	30.50	13.73	69.0%
1991 Q2	29.90	15.06	66.5%
1991 Q1	24.66	12.21	66.9%
1990 Q4	27.99	12.95	68.4%
1990 Q3	30.21	13.58	69.0%
1990 Q2	25.63	13.70	65.2%
1990 Q1	26.55	12.12	68.7%

Exports

Metallurgical coal makes steel; thermal coal makes electricity.

Australia ships 355 million tonnes of coal a year

Exports over the twelve months to 2026 Q1 were 355 million tonnes: 147 million tonnes of metallurgical coal for steelmaking and 209 million tonnes of thermal coal for power. That is roughly 86 per cent of everything the country produces.

Coal exports by grade

million tonnes per quarter

Metallurgical coal is reported in two grades. High quality is hard coking coal; other quality covers semi-soft and pulverised coal for injection.

Australian coal exports by grade, million tonnes per quarter
Quarter	Metallurgical, high quality	Metallurgical, other	Thermal	Other	Total
2026 Q1	19.20	13.44	45.71	0.00	78.3
2025 Q4	24.15	15.49	57.88	0.00	97.5
2025 Q3	22.26	14.94	57.24	0.00	94.4
2025 Q2	22.96	14.08	47.79	0.00	84.8
2025 Q1	19.85	12.89	46.40	0.00	79.1
2024 Q4	25.87	13.13	56.99	0.00	96.0
2024 Q3	25.28	12.94	53.68	0.00	91.9
2024 Q2	27.11	12.22	49.38	0.00	88.7
2024 Q1	24.17	12.32	48.95	0.00	85.4
2023 Q4	24.61	14.43	55.45	0.00	94.5
2023 Q3	23.26	12.59	51.24	0.00	87.1
2023 Q2	28.54	13.20	50.13	0.00	91.9
2023 Q1	23.15	11.46	45.38	0.00	80.0
2022 Q4	27.02	14.04	44.66	0.00	85.7
2022 Q3	25.92	12.95	41.96	0.00	80.8
2022 Q2	27.03	13.88	47.51	0.00	88.4
2022 Q1	26.37	13.32	44.53	0.00	84.2
2021 Q4	27.04	13.60	49.17	0.00	89.8
2021 Q3	26.73	14.55	55.01	0.00	96.3
2021 Q2	29.83	14.19	48.43	0.00	92.5
2021 Q1	27.07	13.99	46.17	0.00	87.2
2020 Q4	30.07	13.34	50.03	0.00	93.4
2020 Q3	28.59	14.20	47.41	0.00	90.2
2020 Q2	30.19	12.59	50.08	0.00	92.9
2020 Q1	28.20	14.63	52.00	0.00	94.8
2019 Q4	31.74	14.33	55.34	0.00	101.4
2019 Q3	30.83	14.78	55.28	0.00	100.9
2019 Q2	31.86	16.92	52.37	0.00	101.2
2019 Q1	28.67	15.22	49.30	0.06	93.2
2018 Q4	30.55	16.33	53.27	0.00	100.2
2018 Q3	29.94	14.02	54.85	0.00	98.8
2018 Q2	30.10	14.58	51.70	0.00	96.4
2018 Q1	28.30	15.02	47.84	0.00	91.2
2017 Q4	27.98	16.02	50.61	0.00	94.6
2017 Q3	31.29	15.95	52.55	0.00	99.8
2017 Q2	23.70	14.78	48.65	0.00	87.1
2017 Q1	28.77	14.18	48.53	0.00	91.5
2016 Q4	31.42	18.07	51.88	0.22	101.6
2016 Q3	30.58	15.69	52.68	0.18	99.1
2016 Q2	32.00	17.36	48.55	0.31	98.2
2016 Q1	27.50	16.60	48.82	0.27	93.2
2015 Q4	29.39	17.52	51.75	0.11	98.8
2015 Q3	30.57	17.05	52.18	0.00	99.8
2015 Q2	31.27	15.17	48.44	0.00	94.9
2015 Q1	29.81	15.31	49.87	0.00	95.0
2014 Q4	31.99	17.33	53.29	0.00	102.6
2014 Q3	29.98	16.79	53.09	0.16	100.0
2014 Q2	31.52	15.85	47.71	0.00	95.1
2014 Q1	27.93	14.98	46.96	0.00	89.9
2013 Q4	29.57	17.78	51.09	0.00	98.4
2013 Q3	26.07	16.77	48.83	0.00	91.7
2013 Q2	26.69	15.57	46.78	0.00	89.0
2013 Q1	23.20	14.37	41.71	0.17	79.4
2012 Q4	25.40	14.59	48.59	0.27	88.9
2012 Q3	21.42	12.96	44.92	0.00	79.3
2012 Q2	21.95	13.87	40.83	0.02	76.7
2012 Q1	21.49	12.86	37.11	0.20	71.7
2011 Q4	24.15	12.71	41.39	0.25	78.5
2011 Q3	23.99	11.34	39.82	0.15	75.3
2011 Q2	21.79	11.25	36.59	0.14	69.8
2011 Q1	17.15	10.32	30.28	0.02	57.8
2010 Q4	26.60	13.38	37.93	0.36	78.3
2010 Q3	26.06	13.90	39.26	0.24	79.4
2010 Q2	28.12	15.47	33.94	0.08	77.6
2010 Q1	21.13	14.30	30.94	0.07	66.4
2009 Q4	24.13	15.32	35.80	0.22	75.5
2009 Q3	24.34	14.45	34.68	0.00	73.5
2009 Q2	20.84	12.20	34.73	0.14	67.9
2009 Q1	15.55	8.19	34.31	0.00	58.1
2008 Q4	20.12	12.03	35.02	0.00	67.2
2008 Q3	23.12	13.19	32.45	0.00	68.8
2008 Q2	22.95	13.80	29.51	0.00	66.3
2008 Q1	17.67	11.94	29.42	0.00	59.0
2007 Q4	21.83	14.03	28.55	0.00	64.4
2007 Q3	21.21	13.50	27.79	0.20	62.7
2007 Q2	20.98	14.10	27.66	0.17	62.9
2007 Q1	20.42	12.13	28.58	0.00	61.1
2006 Q4	20.27	11.30	28.49	0.28	60.3
2006 Q3	21.14	11.63	27.69	0.35	60.8
2006 Q2	20.06	10.40	29.49	0.20	60.2
2006 Q1	18.10	11.50	27.10	0.31	57.0
2005 Q4	20.19	10.23	26.46	0.34	57.2
2005 Q3	19.14	10.86	28.94	0.31	59.2
2005 Q2	22.00	11.30	26.77	0.16	60.2
2005 Q1	19.74	11.47	26.65	0.37	58.2
2004 Q4	20.57	10.33	26.77	0.31	58.0
2004 Q3	18.42	11.09	27.23	0.17	56.9
2004 Q2	17.24	12.58	27.10	0.25	57.2
2004 Q1	16.48	10.02	26.85	0.31	53.7
2003 Q4	17.16	11.12	27.60	0.33	56.2
2003 Q3	16.66	10.47	26.06	0.03	53.2
2003 Q2	17.54	10.87	24.20	0.22	52.8
2003 Q1	16.74	10.95	26.09	0.26	54.0
2002 Q4	16.64	9.78	25.51	0.22	52.2
2002 Q3	15.53	9.75	25.13	0.30	50.7
2002 Q2	16.57	9.70	23.58	0.25	50.1
2002 Q1	16.40	9.98	25.29	0.25	51.9
2001 Q4	15.41	10.30	21.67	0.45	47.8
2001 Q3	17.07	10.39	22.81	0.35	50.6
2001 Q2	16.49	10.66	22.77	0.35	50.3
2001 Q1	15.30	10.46	20.57	0.02	46.3
2000 Q4	15.37	10.77	21.30	0.08	47.5
2000 Q3	14.81	11.67	23.92	0.16	50.6
2000 Q2	15.32	9.41	21.69	0.16	46.6
2000 Q1	15.34	8.06	19.07	0.06	42.5
1999 Q4	16.19	7.85	18.99	0.23	43.3
1999 Q3	15.93	8.71	19.91	0.23	44.8
1999 Q2	14.62	7.73	19.85	0.09	42.3
1999 Q1	13.79	7.15	20.66	0.15	41.7
1998 Q4	14.01	7.20	21.95	0.21	43.4
1998 Q3	13.59	7.18	22.37	0.21	43.4
1998 Q2	14.88	6.15	20.54	0.20	41.8
1998 Q1	13.33	6.33	19.50	0.08	39.2
1997 Q4	14.39	6.73	19.74	0.11	41.0
1997 Q3	14.41	7.86	19.24	0.08	41.6
1997 Q2	12.68	7.86	17.51	0.20	38.3
1997 Q1	12.09	7.35	17.89	0.13	37.5
1996 Q4	12.75	6.94	17.11	0.03	36.8
1996 Q3	11.82	7.20	15.04	0.16	34.2
1996 Q2	13.12	7.20	15.41	0.10	35.8
1996 Q1	12.36	6.45	15.38	0.06	34.3
1995 Q4	11.90	7.28	15.09	0.00	34.3
1995 Q3	12.44	6.65	15.56	0.15	34.8
1995 Q2	12.65	6.09	14.85	0.10	33.7
1995 Q1	11.63	6.31	15.94	0.08	34.0
1994 Q4	11.58	6.46	16.78	0.07	34.9
1994 Q3	12.52	6.10	15.65	0.07	34.3
1994 Q2	11.49	5.46	14.20	0.07	31.2
1994 Q1	11.24	4.92	14.74	0.06	31.0
1993 Q4	13.05	6.24	15.78	0.09	35.2
1993 Q3	12.48	5.02	14.74	0.07	32.3
1993 Q2	13.13	5.72	14.50	0.02	33.4
1993 Q1	12.54	4.29	15.58	0.08	32.5
1992 Q4	12.18	4.31	15.31	0.07	31.9
1992 Q3	12.72	4.65	14.43	0.00	31.8
1992 Q2	12.86	4.17	15.19	0.08	32.3
1992 Q1	11.25	4.29	15.69	0.10	31.3
1991 Q4	11.84	4.74	12.74	0.11	29.4
1991 Q3	11.79	4.15	14.99	0.10	31.0
1991 Q2	12.50	5.17	13.00	0.07	30.7
1991 Q1	11.05	5.27	13.59	0.05	30.0
1990 Q4	10.19	3.79	12.05	0.06	26.1
1990 Q3	9.91	4.03	13.08	0.08	27.1
1990 Q2	11.36	4.67	11.05	0.09	27.2
1990 Q1	10.60	4.15	11.33	0.12	26.2

Where Australian coal goes

million tonnes, 12 months

Japan is the largest single destination at 106.1 million tonnes. The named buyers account for 286 million tonnes of the 355 million tonnes exported; the department withholds some country detail as confidential, so these rows do not sum to the total.

Australian coal exports by destination, 12 months to 2026 Q1, million tonnes
Destination	Metallurgical	Thermal	Total	Share of named
Japan	32.6	73.5	106.1	37.1%
China	8.3	64.4	72.7	25.4%
India	39.1	0.0	39.1	13.7%
South Korea	12.3	15.0	27.4	9.6%
Taiwan	4.7	18.3	23.0	8.0%
European Union	16.9	0.0	16.9	5.9%
Brazil	1.1	0.0	1.1	0.4%

Value

Export earnings and the average price each grade fetched.

Coal earned Australia A$63.0 billion last year

Export earnings over the twelve months to 2026 Q1 were A$63.0 billion. In the most recent quarter high quality metallurgical coal averaged A$281 a tonne and thermal coal A$136 a tonne, which is why metallurgical coal earns far more than its tonnage share suggests.

Coal export earnings and average prices

A$ billion per quarter · A$ per tonne

Prices are average export unit values, that is declared value divided by tonnes shipped. They are not benchmark or contract prices.

Coal export earnings and average prices
Quarter	Metallurgical A$b	Thermal A$b	All coal A$b	Met high quality A$/t	Thermal A$/t
2026 Q1	8.31	6.22	14.53	281	136
2025 Q4	9.67	7.78	17.46	266	134
2025 Q3	8.67	7.42	16.09	249	130
2025 Q2	8.84	6.13	14.97	256	128
2025 Q1	8.61	7.04	15.64	279	152
2024 Q4	10.57	9.77	20.34	284	171
2024 Q3	11.30	9.06	20.35	310	169
2024 Q2	13.01	8.46	21.46	355	171
2024 Q1	14.25	8.74	23.00	429	179
2023 Q4	14.97	10.27	25.24	424	185
2023 Q3	11.94	9.75	21.69	345	190
2023 Q2	15.60	11.37	26.98	381	227
2023 Q1	14.36	14.92	29.28	431	329
2022 Q4	16.07	19.96	36.03	392	447
2022 Q3	15.89	19.25	35.13	403	459
2022 Q2	24.13	17.89	42.02	624	377
2022 Q1	18.46	10.70	29.16	516	240
2021 Q4	15.49	9.72	25.20	425	198
2021 Q3	9.51	7.95	17.46	254	145
2021 Q2	6.25	4.93	11.18	147	102
2021 Q1	5.59	4.07	9.66	147	88
2020 Q4	5.71	3.58	9.29	142	72
2020 Q3	5.63	3.43	9.07	142	72
2020 Q2	7.34	4.48	11.82	188	89
2020 Q1	8.05	5.14	13.19	208	99
2019 Q4	8.60	5.22	13.82	203	94
2019 Q3	10.25	5.54	15.79	250	100
2019 Q2	11.86	5.77	17.63	275	110
2019 Q1	10.57	6.13	16.71	270	124
2018 Q4	11.30	6.86	18.16	270	129
2018 Q3	9.91	7.20	17.11	243	131
2018 Q2	10.10	6.01	16.11	245	116
2018 Q1	9.94	5.54	15.47	259	116
2017 Q4	8.93	5.70	14.63	229	113
2017 Q3	8.82	5.35	14.17	206	102
2017 Q2	8.54	4.91	13.44	247	101
2017 Q1	10.01	4.88	14.89	258	101
2016 Q4	11.29	5.23	16.54	264	101
2016 Q3	5.50	3.89	9.39	129	74
2016 Q2	5.22	3.31	8.55	113	68
2016 Q1	4.42	3.42	7.86	105	70
2015 Q4	4.82	3.88	8.71	107	75
2015 Q3	5.33	4.14	9.47	118	79
2015 Q2	5.28	3.75	9.03	118	77
2015 Q1	5.73	4.10	9.83	134	82
2014 Q4	5.76	4.17	9.93	124	78
2014 Q3	5.04	4.05	9.10	114	76
2014 Q2	5.35	3.78	9.14	118	79
2014 Q1	5.70	4.14	9.84	141	88
2013 Q4	6.41	4.40	10.81	146	86
2013 Q3	5.79	4.38	10.17	144	90
2013 Q2	6.00	4.05	10.05	152	87
2013 Q1	5.19	3.58	8.79	150	86
2012 Q4	5.40	4.32	9.74	146	89
2012 Q3	5.84	4.25	10.09	188	95
2012 Q2	6.62	4.22	10.84	203	103
2012 Q1	6.61	4.01	10.65	211	108
2011 Q4	8.64	4.70	13.37	255	114
2011 Q3	8.84	4.28	13.14	273	107
2011 Q2	8.15	3.66	11.84	267	100
2011 Q1	5.42	3.01	8.43	217	99
2010 Q4	7.65	3.50	11.20	208	92
2010 Q3	8.58	3.88	12.49	234	99
2010 Q2	8.48	3.27	11.76	212	96
2010 Q1	4.99	2.62	7.61	162	85
2009 Q4	5.34	2.89	8.26	152	81
2009 Q3	5.71	3.14	8.85	165	91
2009 Q2	6.24	3.44	9.70	203	99
2009 Q1	7.69	4.97	12.66	343	145
2008 Q4	12.52	5.71	18.23	424	163
2008 Q3	10.37	3.78	14.14	314	116
2008 Q2	6.49	2.75	9.24	189	93
2008 Q1	2.90	2.12	5.01	111	72
2007 Q4	3.30	1.80	5.10	103	63
2007 Q3	3.36	1.71	5.08	109	61
2007 Q2	3.52	1.64	5.18	117	59
2007 Q1	3.72	1.71	5.43	135	60
2006 Q4	3.74	1.72	5.47	138	60
2006 Q3	4.06	1.73	5.81	142	62
2006 Q2	4.13	1.87	6.02	151	63
2006 Q1	4.30	1.74	6.05	164	64
2005 Q4	4.47	1.76	6.26	164	67
2005 Q3	4.11	1.92	6.04	152	66
2005 Q2	3.96	1.70	5.67	134	63
2005 Q1	2.32	1.58	3.92	82	59
2004 Q4	2.30	1.55	3.86	80	58
2004 Q3	2.17	1.56	3.74	80	57
2004 Q2	2.00	1.39	3.40	73	51
2004 Q1	1.37	1.03	2.41	57	38
2003 Q4	1.53	0.99	2.53	60	36
2003 Q3	1.61	0.99	2.60	66	38
2003 Q2	1.77	0.95	2.73	70	39
2003 Q1	1.89	1.12	3.02	77	43
2002 Q4	1.93	1.17	3.11	81	46
2002 Q3	1.85	1.26	3.12	81	50
2002 Q2	1.90	1.26	3.17	78	53
2002 Q1	2.03	1.45	3.50	83	57
2001 Q4	2.01	1.30	3.33	84	60
2001 Q3	2.10	1.36	3.48	82	60
2001 Q2	1.91	1.26	3.19	76	55
2001 Q1	1.58	0.98	2.56	67	47
2000 Q4	1.61	0.98	2.59	67	46
2000 Q3	1.50	1.02	2.52	62	43
2000 Q2	1.37	0.88	2.25	60	41
2000 Q1	1.25	0.73	1.99	57	39
1999 Q4	1.27	0.73	2.01	56	38
1999 Q3	1.29	0.80	2.10	56	40
1999 Q2	1.22	0.82	2.05	58	41
1999 Q1	1.35	0.91	2.27	69	44
1998 Q4	1.43	0.99	2.42	72	45
1998 Q3	1.48	1.08	2.57	77	48
1998 Q2	1.49	1.02	2.52	76	50
1998 Q1	1.39	0.96	2.35	75	49
1997 Q4	1.45	0.95	2.40	73	48
1997 Q3	1.42	0.89	2.31	68	46
1997 Q2	1.26	0.79	2.07	66	45
1997 Q1	1.20	0.82	2.03	66	46
1996 Q4	1.19	0.80	2.00	64	47
1996 Q3	1.16	0.73	1.89	65	48
1996 Q2	1.21	0.74	1.95	63	48
1996 Q1	1.16	0.77	1.93	65	50
1995 Q4	1.19	0.75	1.94	65	50
1995 Q3	1.19	0.77	1.97	66	49
1995 Q2	1.12	0.69	1.82	63	47
1995 Q1	0.98	0.69	1.67	58	43
1994 Q4	0.97	0.72	1.69	57	43
1994 Q3	1.03	0.69	1.72	59	44
1994 Q2	0.96	0.65	1.61	60	46
1994 Q1	0.98	0.70	1.68	64	47
1993 Q4	1.25	0.78	2.03	68	50
1993 Q3	1.14	0.72	1.86	68	49
1993 Q2	1.21	0.69	1.90	67	48
1993 Q1	1.13	0.79	1.93	70	51
1992 Q4	1.10	0.78	1.88	69	51
1992 Q3	1.11	0.73	1.84	66	51
1992 Q2	1.05	0.74	1.79	64	48
1992 Q1	0.98	0.77	1.75	65	49
1991 Q4	1.01	0.61	1.63	63	48
1991 Q3	0.97	0.72	1.70	63	48
1991 Q2	1.10	0.63	1.74	65	49
1991 Q1	1.02	0.68	1.69	65	50
1990 Q4	0.87	0.60	1.48	64	50
1990 Q3	0.84	0.63	1.47	62	48
1990 Q2	0.99	0.55	1.55	64	50
1990 Q1	0.90	0.56	1.46	63	49

Two sources

The federal and Queensland figures do not agree, and the reason is in the footnotes.

Two official sources, two different Queenslands

The federal Resources and Energy Quarterly and the Queensland department both publish Queensland's saleable coal production, and they rarely agree. Across 63 overlapping quarters the two match exactly in only 8. Among the rest the federal figure runs a median 1.8 per cent above the state's, and the gap has reached +21.0 per cent in a single quarter and -6.2 per cent the other way. Neither is wrong: the federal series is an estimate, the state's is compiled from returns lodged by each mine.

Queensland saleable coal: federal estimate against state returns

million tonnes per quarter

Mean gap 3.7 per cent across every quarter, 4.2 per cent among those that actually differ. The widest was 2021 Q4, where the federal estimate sat 21.0 per cent above the state's return. If you need Queensland at mine level, or the most recent quarter, use the Queensland page, which is built from the state returns and runs two quarters further forward.

Queensland saleable coal: federal estimate against state returns, million tonnes
Quarter	Federal (REQ)	Queensland returns	Difference	Difference %
2025 Q3	57.80	60.25	-2.45	-4.1%
2025 Q2	56.75	57.71	-0.96	-1.7%
2025 Q1	53.92	49.89	4.03	+8.1%
2024 Q4	59.23	56.61	2.62	+4.6%
2024 Q3	58.90	58.45	0.45	+0.8%
2024 Q2	61.53	59.21	2.32	+3.9%
2024 Q1	61.57	51.91	9.66	+18.6%
2023 Q4	59.58	56.80	2.78	+4.9%
2023 Q3	58.73	55.90	2.83	+5.1%
2023 Q2	57.93	58.13	-0.20	-0.3%
2023 Q1	56.16	52.57	3.59	+6.8%
2022 Q4	57.39	56.15	1.24	+2.2%
2022 Q3	59.96	56.03	3.93	+7.0%
2022 Q2	62.46	54.29	8.17	+15.0%
2022 Q1	63.22	54.88	8.34	+15.2%
2021 Q4	63.52	52.48	11.04	+21.0%
2021 Q3	62.89	56.74	6.15	+10.8%
2021 Q2	64.42	57.47	6.95	+12.1%
2021 Q1	58.88	54.12	4.76	+8.8%
2020 Q4	57.06	56.05	1.01	+1.8%
2020 Q3	60.40	53.23	7.17	+13.5%
2020 Q2	63.68	58.86	4.82	+8.2%
2020 Q1	63.11	56.43	6.68	+11.8%
2019 Q4	69.46	64.43	5.03	+7.8%
2019 Q3	66.67	60.05	6.62	+11.0%
2019 Q2	71.18	65.68	5.50	+8.4%
2019 Q1	67.24	58.65	8.59	+14.6%
2018 Q4	70.89	61.32	9.57	+15.6%
2018 Q3	68.63	63.52	5.11	+8.0%
2018 Q2	64.13	64.54	-0.41	-0.6%
2018 Q1	59.24	59.56	-0.32	-0.5%
2017 Q4	61.62	61.47	0.15	+0.2%
2017 Q3	63.64	63.64	0.00	+0.0%
2017 Q2	52.36	52.36	0.00	+0.0%
2017 Q1	59.28	59.31	-0.03	-0.1%
2016 Q4	63.54	63.55	-0.01	-0.0%
2016 Q3	62.50	62.11	0.39	+0.6%
2016 Q2	59.37	61.34	-1.97	-3.2%
2016 Q1	55.70	56.65	-0.95	-1.7%
2015 Q4	60.41	60.07	0.34	+0.6%
2015 Q3	62.15	62.03	0.12	+0.2%
2015 Q2	63.54	62.42	1.12	+1.8%
2015 Q1	53.33	56.84	-3.51	-6.2%
2014 Q4	60.73	60.90	-0.17	-0.3%
2014 Q3	61.99	61.56	0.43	+0.7%
2014 Q2	55.86	58.09	-2.23	-3.8%
2014 Q1	55.42	54.88	0.54	+1.0%
2013 Q4	56.17	56.84	-0.67	-1.2%
2013 Q3	57.53	56.81	0.72	+1.3%
2013 Q2	52.21	54.87	-2.66	-4.8%
2013 Q1	45.95	46.11	-0.16	-0.3%
2012 Q4	53.34	52.31	1.03	+2.0%
2012 Q3	51.19	49.81	1.38	+2.8%
2012 Q2	47.21	46.77	0.44	+0.9%
2012 Q1	42.81	42.32	0.49	+1.2%
2011 Q4	49.19	49.12	0.07	+0.1%
2011 Q3	49.04	47.89	1.15	+2.4%
2011 Q2	44.54	44.54	0.00	+0.0%
2011 Q1	35.73	35.73	0.00	+0.0%
2010 Q4	45.94	45.94	0.00	+0.0%
2010 Q3	53.62	53.62	0.00	+0.0%
2010 Q2	55.24	55.24	0.00	+0.0%
2010 Q1	47.30	47.30	0.00	+0.0%

Questions

The figures above, stated plainly.

Common questions

How much coal does Australia produce?

Australia produced 411 million tonnes of saleable coal in the twelve months to 2026 Q1, from 527 million tonnes of raw coal mined.

Which Australian state produces the most coal?

Queensland, at 227.7 million tonnes of saleable coal against New South Wales on 175.0 million tonnes over the twelve months to 2025 Q3. Together they are 99 per cent of national output.

How much coal does Australia export?

355 million tonnes over the twelve months to 2026 Q1, of which 147 million tonnes was metallurgical coal and 209 million tonnes thermal coal.

What is Australian coal worth?

A$63.0 billion in export earnings over the twelve months to 2026 Q1.

Who buys Australian coal?

The largest named destinations are Japan (106.1 million tonnes), China (72.7 million tonnes), India (39.1 million tonnes), South Korea (27.4 million tonnes), Taiwan (23.0 million tonnes).

How much of Australia's coal comes from open cut mines?

84 per cent. Open cut mines produced 342 million tonnes against 65 million tonnes underground over the twelve months to 2025 Q3.

Does Australia produce brown coal?

Yes, in Victoria's Latrobe Valley. It is a separate resource: wetter, lower in energy, consumed in nearby power stations and never exported. It is reported separately from the series on this page, which is why Victoria shows no production here.

Method

Where this comes from, and what it can't tell you

Source. Every figure is compiled from the historical data workbook of the Resources and Energy Quarterly, published by the Office of the Chief Economist at the Australian Government Department of Industry, Science and Resources, under CC BY 4.0. Nothing here is modelled or forecast: the REQ also publishes projections, and none of them appear on this page.

Two different currencies in one table. The national total runs to 2026 Q1 while the state and mine-type splits stop at 2025 Q3. Charts and figures on this page therefore use each series' own most recent four complete quarters rather than one shared window, which is why the state figures do not sum exactly to the national total.

State figures are estimates. The REQ marks its state and mine-type rows with an estimate footnote. Where a state publishes its own figures compiled from mine returns, the two will not match. That is the subject of the comparison above rather than a fault in either source.

What this covers. These series count the coal Australia mines for steelmaking and for export power markets. Victoria's brown coal is a separate resource, wetter and lower in energy, consumed in nearby power stations and never exported; it is reported elsewhere and does not appear here. Victoria therefore shows no production on this page, which is correct rather than missing.

No mine-level detail. The REQ reports to state level. Only Queensland publishes production for every individual mine, which is why the Queensland page can go deeper than this one.

Destinations are partial. The REQ names only the major buyers for each grade and withholds some country detail as confidential. Destination rows therefore do not sum to the export total, and the gap is genuine rather than an error.

Revisions. The most recent quarter is preliminary and moves as data is resubmitted. This page is rebuilt from the source workbook after each quarterly edition rather than updated by hand.

Resources and Energy Quarterly, June 2026 — Office of the Chief Economist, Department of Industry, Science and Resources
Historical data workbook (XLSX) — tables 24(1) and 24(2)
Queensland coal production and export statistics — mine-level detail from the state's own returns