Queensland Coal Ledger

The Queensland Coal Ledger · quarterly statistics

Queensland Coal Production & Export Statistics

Every tonne of saleable coal Queensland has produced since 2010, where it sailed to, and which mines dug it — read straight from the state's own quarterly returns.

By Clint Zahmel, Mining Capital Funds

Data sheet
Source
Qld Dept of Natural Resources & Mines (NRMMRRD)
Covers
1 Jan 2010 → 31 March 2026
Released
June 2026
Cadence
Quarterly, ~2–3 months in arrears
Latest
2026 Q1 · 48.6 Mt saleable
Saleable output · 2026 Q148.6Mt-2.6% on 2025 Q1
Rolling 12 months227Mt1.0% year on year
Metallurgical share59%Coking and PCI as a share of the quarter’s saleable tonnes
Export value · 12 months40.6A$bon 201 Mt shipped
Export share

Sales, not production — the two differ by whatever moves on and off the stockpiles.

About 88% of it is sold overseas

Over the 12 months to 2026 Q1 Queensland sold 228 million tonnes of coal. 201 million went onto ships and 26.5 million stayed in Australia.

Export sales against domestic sales

million tonnes per quarter
Export and domestic coal sales, million tonnes
QuarterExportDomesticTotalDomestic share
2026 Q144.16.750.813.1%
2025 Q454.46.761.110.9%
2025 Q352.76.759.311.2%
2025 Q250.36.556.811.5%
2025 Q142.86.549.313.1%
2024 Q454.06.660.510.8%
2024 Q351.36.457.711.1%
2024 Q251.76.758.411.4%
2024 Q147.56.754.212.4%
2023 Q451.86.458.211.0%
2023 Q349.06.955.912.3%
2023 Q253.76.960.711.4%
2023 Q144.87.252.113.9%
2022 Q449.87.257.012.7%
2022 Q347.26.854.112.6%
2022 Q249.86.055.810.7%
2022 Q146.36.452.712.2%

Who uses the coal that stays

million tonnes, rolling 12 months
Domestic coal sales by industry, 12 months to 2026 Q1
IndustryTonnes (Mt)Share
Electricity Generation21.380.3%
Coal Mining2.710.3%
Other1.34.8%
Primary Metal and Metal Product Manufacturing1.24.6%
Net output

Saleable coal — washed product plus other saleable product, as reported to the department.

The state produces a quarter of a billion tonnes a year, and the mix is drifting

Output has been broadly flat since the 2019 peak, but the split between coking coal for steelmaking and thermal coal for power has kept moving — and the wet season carves a visible notch out of every March quarter.

Saleable coal production by quarter

million tonnes
From 2022 the department reports PCI (pulverised coal for injection) as its own category; before that it sat inside coking coal. The step at the marked quarter is a change in classification, not in mining.
Saleable coal production, million tonnes
QuarterCokingPCIThermalTotal
2026 Q120.78.319.648.6
2025 Q425.310.324.460.0
2025 Q325.59.924.960.3
2025 Q225.89.122.857.7
2025 Q122.18.119.749.9
2024 Q423.49.224.156.6
2024 Q327.68.722.158.4
2024 Q228.87.922.559.2
2024 Q123.67.920.551.9
2023 Q425.09.422.456.8
2023 Q323.69.123.255.9
2023 Q227.37.923.058.1
2023 Q126.16.919.652.6
2022 Q426.78.620.956.1
2022 Q327.58.120.456.0
2022 Q225.18.021.354.3
2022 Q126.87.820.354.9
2021 Q433.40.019.152.5
2021 Q334.90.021.856.7
2021 Q238.90.018.657.5
2021 Q135.60.018.554.1
2020 Q437.70.018.456.1
2020 Q336.20.017.053.2
2020 Q237.30.021.658.9
2020 Q134.50.021.956.4
2019 Q443.20.021.364.4
2019 Q337.90.022.160.1
2019 Q243.10.022.665.7
2019 Q136.00.022.758.6
2018 Q438.30.023.061.3
2018 Q338.40.025.163.5
2018 Q241.80.022.764.5
2018 Q137.90.021.659.6
2017 Q438.70.022.861.5
2017 Q341.40.022.263.6
2017 Q232.90.019.452.4
2017 Q139.20.020.159.3
2016 Q442.00.021.563.6
2016 Q340.40.021.762.1
2016 Q241.20.020.161.3
2016 Q136.40.020.256.7
2015 Q439.80.020.260.1
2015 Q341.20.020.862.0
2015 Q242.30.020.262.4
2015 Q138.40.018.556.8
2014 Q441.90.019.060.9
2014 Q341.00.020.661.6
2014 Q239.00.019.158.1
2014 Q137.80.017.154.9
2013 Q439.30.017.656.8
2013 Q336.40.020.456.8
2013 Q235.20.019.654.9
2013 Q131.50.014.746.1
2012 Q433.30.019.052.3
2012 Q331.20.018.649.8
2012 Q229.70.017.146.8
2012 Q126.00.016.342.3
2011 Q431.30.017.849.1
2011 Q330.00.017.947.9
2011 Q226.40.018.144.5
2011 Q121.20.014.635.7
2010 Q427.50.018.445.9
2010 Q333.60.020.053.6
2010 Q234.20.021.055.2
2010 Q129.80.017.547.3
Overburden

Bank cubic metres of rock moved to reach the seam — the work that precedes the coal.

Flat production, more dirt moved

Queensland shifts well over two billion cubic metres of overburden a year. Divided by raw coal won, it gives the state's effective strip ratio — a blunt read on how much harder the pits are becoming to mine.

Overburden removed, and cubic metres per tonne of raw coal

million bcm · bcm per tonne
Two measures on two separate scales, stacked rather than overlaid on a shared axis. Strip ratio here is total overburden divided by total gross raw output for the same quarter, open cut and underground combined.
Overburden and strip ratio by quarter
QuarterOverburden (M bcm)Raw coal (Mt)Strip ratio (bcm/t)
2026 Q147465.47.26
2025 Q460981.67.46
2025 Q361583.87.35
2025 Q255381.26.82
2025 Q147365.67.21
2024 Q454674.47.34
2024 Q358879.47.40
2024 Q257280.27.13
2024 Q150268.97.29
2023 Q450476.06.62
2023 Q357273.47.79
2023 Q259777.87.68
2023 Q145869.46.60
2022 Q449174.66.58
2022 Q351374.76.86
2022 Q248369.56.95
2022 Q150071.66.98
2021 Q445465.76.91
2021 Q352870.47.50
2021 Q250076.46.55
2021 Q145770.46.49
2020 Q448975.66.48
2020 Q352573.37.16
2020 Q251975.06.92
2020 Q146468.96.73
2019 Q453485.16.27
2019 Q354377.47.02
2019 Q253086.86.11
2019 Q148072.66.61
2018 Q448576.36.36
2018 Q351480.66.38
2018 Q251484.56.09
2018 Q147373.56.43
2017 Q445878.05.87
2017 Q353283.46.38
2017 Q250569.47.28
2017 Q145374.06.12
2016 Q448280.75.97
2016 Q348881.26.01
2016 Q250881.76.22
2016 Q144469.56.39
2015 Q447778.56.08
2015 Q351379.16.48
2015 Q251681.46.34
2015 Q143572.46.01
2014 Q448376.66.31
2014 Q353077.46.84
2014 Q253579.86.70
2014 Q147767.77.04
2013 Q448471.06.83
2013 Q354573.17.45
2013 Q245572.66.26
2013 Q147460.27.87
2012 Q451171.37.17
2012 Q349168.37.19
2012 Q242763.36.74
2012 Q138652.87.32
2011 Q440166.36.05
2011 Q345664.87.04
2011 Q239061.06.39
2011 Q133347.07.08
2010 Q433255.36.00
2010 Q340670.25.79
2010 Q242270.55.99
2010 Q133460.15.55
Destinations

Export tonnes and sale value by country, as declared on quarterly returns.

India and Japan buy the most; the map keeps redrawing itself

Around 200 million tonnes leaves Queensland each year, worth roughly forty billion dollars. The customer list has changed more than the total: China's share collapsed after 2020 and has since partly returned, while India and South-East Asia have grown.

Exports by destination

million tonnes
Exports by destination, the 12 months to 2026 Q1
DestinationTonnes (Mt)ValueImplied A$/t
India39.5A$9,720m246
Japan39.4A$8,202m208
China31.6A$4,711m149
South Korea29.9A$5,747m192
Vietnam16.4A$2,593m158
Taiwan7.7A$1,757m229
Netherlands7.0A$1,609m229
Hong Kong5.9A$752m128
Brazil4.7A$1,043m222
Indonesia3.6A$846m233
Other3.1A$714m232
Singapore2.5A$469m190
Germany2.3A$569m245
France2.1A$492m240
Turkey1.5A$414m267
Sweden1.0A$251m260
Malaysia0.9A$157m169
Spain0.9A$219m241
Belgium0.9A$224m253
Switzerland0.6A$80m139
United Kingdom0.1A$23m289

Share of export tonnes by buyer

rolling 12 months
The six largest buyers over the whole period, everyone else grouped. Each point is the preceding four quarters, which removes the wet-season sawtooth and makes the shifts in share readable.
Export tonnes by buyer, 12 months to 2026 Q1
BuyerTonnes (Mt)Share
Japan39.419.6%
India39.519.6%
China31.615.7%
South Korea29.914.8%
Singapore2.51.2%
Taiwan7.73.8%
Ports

Where the coal actually crosses the wharf.

Four terminals carry almost all of it

Gladstone and Dalrymple Bay handle the bulk, with Hay Point and Abbot Point close behind. Brisbane is a rounding error by comparison, and the coal type each terminal ships says a lot about the basin behind it.

Export tonnes by port

million tonnes per quarter
Export tonnes by port, the 12 months to 2026 Q1
PortTonnes (Mt)Share
Gladstone Port66.733.1%
Dalrymple Bay57.628.6%
Abbot Point35.617.7%
Hay Point35.517.6%
Port of Brisbane5.92.9%
Unspecified0.20.1%

What each terminal ships

share of tonnes, rolling 12 months
Coal grade mix by terminal, 12 months to 2026 Q1, million tonnes
TerminalHard Coking CoalPCISemi-Soft Coking CoalThermal CoalTotal
Gladstone Port20.914.36.924.566.7
Dalrymple Bay23.115.51.417.657.6
Abbot Point8.46.31.119.735.6
Hay Point34.9——0.735.5
Port of Brisbane———5.95.9
Unspecified0.1——0.10.2
Mines

Individual operations, financial year. Published annually, so this series runs a year behind the quarterly tables.

54 mines reported saleable production in FY2025

Together they produced 222.3 million tonnes. The largest ten account for 46% of that.

Saleable production by mine

million tonnes
MineMtvs prior
Carmichael Coal MineOpen Cut · mostly thermal
12.6
6.9%
Goonyella Riverside And Broadmeadow Mine - Open CutOpen Cut · mostly coking
11.7
-9.3%
Rolleston MineOpen Cut · mostly thermal
11.6
-7.4%
Clermont Open CutOpen Cut · mostly thermal
11.4
-0.4%
Blackwater MineOpen Cut · mostly coking
11.0
9.0%
Callide MineOpen Cut · mostly thermal
10.0
7.1%
Curragh - OpencutOpen Cut · mostly pci
9.5
-6.9%
Lake VermontOpen Cut · mostly coking
8.6
-5.5%
Caval RidgeOpen Cut · mostly coking
8.4
3.4%
Saraji - Open CutOpen Cut · mostly coking
8.1
23.9%
Hail Creek MineOpen Cut · mostly coking
7.9
0.6%
Peak DownsOpen Cut · mostly coking
7.8
14.6%
Saleable production by mine, million tonnes
MineTypeFY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025
Carmichael Coal MineOpen Cut——1.79.011.812.6
Goonyella Riverside And Broadmeadow Mine - Open CutOpen Cut17.518.916.716.612.911.7
Rolleston MineOpen Cut14.612.013.713.212.511.6
Clermont Open CutOpen Cut11.17.510.99.311.411.4
Blackwater MineOpen Cut11.112.411.710.110.111.0
Callide MineOpen Cut10.38.57.67.19.310.0
Curragh - OpencutOpen Cut11.712.210.49.710.29.5
Lake VermontOpen Cut6.88.09.28.79.18.6
Caval RidgeOpen Cut8.77.89.29.48.18.4
Saraji - Open CutOpen Cut9.99.09.29.26.68.1
Hail Creek MineOpen Cut8.55.77.87.67.97.9
Peak DownsOpen Cut11.211.88.58.86.87.8
Dawson North And Central MineOpen Cut8.07.04.57.06.47.4
South Walker CreekOpen Cut5.44.96.36.16.36.1
Jellinbah MineOpen Cut4.95.24.43.85.36.0
Meandu Mine - Open CutOpen Cut5.25.05.26.15.35.0
Poitrel MineOpen Cut4.13.53.73.64.45.0
DauniaOpen Cut4.43.93.04.04.14.6
Kestrel MineUnderground6.65.35.94.85.14.1
Ensham Mine - Open CutOpen Cut5.04.13.92.93.43.8
Capcoal Complex - Open CutOpen Cut4.23.62.63.33.03.7
Oaky Creek Mine - UndergroundUnderground5.03.93.73.64.13.7
Olive DownsOpen Cut————1.03.5
Byerwen Coal MineOpen Cut4.25.24.03.64.53.3
Capcoal Complex - UndergroundUnderground4.35.34.02.43.23.3
Northern Hub - Drake - Open CutOpen Cut2.72.93.33.33.12.8
Cameby Downs - Open CutOpen Cut2.12.02.02.22.62.8
Commodore Coal Mine - Open CutOpen Cut3.83.53.53.33.32.8
New AclandOpen Cut3.01.80.5—0.92.6
Yarrabee MineOpen Cut3.02.72.42.01.82.6
Middlemount Coal MineOpen Cut2.13.53.32.22.22.5
Isaac Plains ComplexOpen Cut2.41.92.42.92.52.5
Moranbah North MineUnderground6.34.43.35.03.52.2
Kogan CreekOpen Cut1.92.42.62.12.52.2
Foxleigh Coal MineOpen Cut2.82.42.52.52.62.1
Collinsville - Open CutOpen Cut3.81.72.42.22.72.1
Coppabella Open Cut Coal MineOpen Cut3.22.42.92.52.72.1
Moorvale MineOpen Cut1.61.71.52.02.12.0
New Burton MineOpen Cut————0.71.7
Northern Hub - Jax - Open CutOpen Cut1.51.21.51.51.91.7
Baralaba North MineOpen Cut1.01.31.51.61.51.5
Blair AtholOpen Cut2.52.22.21.91.51.5
Meteor Downs South MineOpen Cut0.61.41.41.51.31.4
Vulcan MineOpen Cut——0.71.21.41.2
Gregory Crinum Mine - Open CutOpen Cut1.02.11.81.41.61.0
Carborough DownsUnderground2.23.62.22.31.40.8
Ironbark No.1Underground———0.10.20.5
Centurion Coal MineUnderground—————0.4
BroadleaOpen Cut——0.20.60.50.4
Wilton Coal MineOpen Cut————0.00.3
Cook Colliery Coal MineUnderground0.2—0.00.20.10.2
Grosvenor MineUnderground3.50.01.23.74.30.2
Broadmeadow EastOpen Cut———0.61.10.1
Millennium Coal MineOpen Cut0.4—0.40.30.40.0
Value

An estimate, and the only modelled figure on this page. Everything else is the department’s own numbers.

Tonnes are not dollars: Carmichael mines the most coal, Goonyella Riverside earns the most

Priced at Queensland's average export value for each type of coal in FY2025, the output of the state's 54 producing coal mines is worth an estimated A$45.3 billion. Tonnes and dollars rank the mines differently, because coking coal averaged A$273 a tonne against A$130 for thermal. Carmichael produced the most coal, 12.6 million tonnes of mostly thermal coal, but ranks 10th by estimated value at about A$1.6 billion. Goonyella Riverside ranks first at about A$3.1 billion from 11.7 million tonnes, mostly coking coal.

Estimated value out of the ground by mine, FY2025

A$, estimate
Full screen
An estimate, not a reported figure. Each mine's saleable tonnes of coking, PCI and thermal coal come from the department's FY2025 mine table, multiplied by Queensland's average export unit value for that coal type across the same four quarters: coking A$273 a tonne (hard and semi-soft combined), PCI A$240, thermal A$130. Coal sold to neighbouring power stations (Callide, Meandu, Commodore, Kogan Creek) is assumed at A$55 a tonne. It ignores each mine's own coal quality, contract prices and stockpile movements, so read it as a comparison of scale, not as any company's revenue. Lease boundaries are granted coal mining leases from the Queensland Government; rail routes to port are indicative. Terminals follow operators' published arrangements; mines that use two are split so each terminal's total matches its reported exports. Satellite imagery: Esri.
Estimated value out of the ground by mine, FY2025 (estimate)
MineMain coal typeSaleable (Mt)Est. value (A$m)Implied A$/tRank by valueRank by tonnes
Goonyella Riversidecoking11.73,13726912
Blackwatercoking11.02,92426525
Caval Ridgecoking8.42,24626739
Sarajicoking8.12,221273410
Peak Downscoking7.82,124273512
Lake Vermontcoking8.62,11224768
CurraghPCI9.52,06121877
Dawsoncoking7.41,804245813
Hail Creekcoking7.91,665210911
Carmichaelthermal12.61,634130101
Rollestonthermal11.61,507130113
Clermontthermal11.41,478130124
South Walker CreekPCI6.11,4612401314
JellinbahPCI6.01,4392401415
PoitrelPCI5.01,2702541517
Dauniacoking4.61,1892611618
Oaky Creekcoking3.71,0172731722
Kestrelcoking4.19842411819
Capcoal (underground)coking3.38952731925
Capcoal (open cut)PCI3.78902382021
Olive Downscoking3.58392362123
Byerwenthermal3.36531982224
MiddlemountPCI2.56312532331
Isaac Plainscoking2.56302552432
YarrabeePCI2.66292402530
Moranbah Northcoking2.26082732633
Callidethermal10.054955276
FoxleighPCI2.15162402835
CoppabellaPCI2.14952402937
Enshamthermal3.84891303020
MoorvalePCI2.04832413138
Drakethermal2.84071453226
Collinsvillethermal2.13941893336
Burtoncoking1.73732153439
Baralaba NorthPCI1.53692403541
Cameby Downsthermal2.83661303627
New Aclandthermal2.63431303729
Vulcancoking1.23252693844
Jaxthermal1.72811623940
Meanduthermal5.0275554016
Gregory Crinumcoking1.02722734145
Carborough Downscoking0.82192604246
Blair Atholthermal1.51951304342
Meteor Downs Souththermal1.41791304443
Commodorethermal2.8154554528
Ironbark No.1coking0.51372684647
Kogan Creekthermal2.2122554734
Centurioncoking0.41002734848
Wiltoncoking0.3632274950
Grosvenorcoking0.2592735052
Cook Collierycoking0.2572485151
Broadleathermal0.4511465249
Millenniumcoking0.082675354
Broadmeadow Eastthermal0.171365453
Questions

The figures above, stated plainly.

Common questions

How much coal does Queensland produce?

Queensland produced 226.5 million tonnes of saleable coal in the twelve months to March 2026, of which 59% was metallurgical coal and 41% thermal coal.

How much coal does Queensland export?

Queensland exported 201.5 million tonnes of coal in the twelve months to March 2026, with a declared sales value of A$40.6 billion. That is 88% of all Queensland coal sold.

Who buys Queensland coal?

The largest destinations in the twelve months to March 2026 were India (39.5 million tonnes), Japan (39.4 million tonnes), China (31.6 million tonnes), South Korea (29.9 million tonnes), Vietnam (16.4 million tonnes).

What is the largest coal mine in Queensland?

Carmichael Coal Mine was the largest by saleable production in FY2025 at 12.6 million tonnes. 54 mines reported production, producing 222.3 million tonnes in total.

Which ports export Queensland coal?

Queensland coal is exported through 5 terminals: Gladstone Port, Dalrymple Bay, Abbot Point, Hay Point, Port of Brisbane. Gladstone Port handled the most in the twelve months to March 2026 at 66.7 million tonnes.

How much Queensland coal is used domestically?

26.5 million tonnes, or 11.6% of coal sold, went to Australian domestic buyers in the twelve months to March 2026. The rest was exported.

How much overburden does Queensland move?

Queensland mines removed 2,252 million bank cubic metres of overburden in the twelve months to March 2026 to win 312.0 million tonnes of raw coal, an effective strip ratio of 7.2 cubic metres per tonne.

Method

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

Source. Every figure on this page is compiled from spreadsheets published on the Queensland Government Open Data Portal by the Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Manufacturing and Regional and Rural Development. With one labelled exception, nothing here is modelled, estimated or adjusted — the numbers are aggregated from the department's own tables. The exception is the estimated value by mine, described below.

Release cadence. The department publishes quarterly, roughly two to three months after the quarter closes. This page is rebuilt from the source files rather than hand-updated, so it always reflects the most recent release — but it is not, and cannot be, a real-time feed of mine output.

Revisions. The department states that data may be revised as new and resubmitted returns arrive. The most recent quarter is the most likely to move.

Quarters are calendar quarters in the production and sales tables. The mine-level table is reported by financial year and is published annually, which is why it ends a year earlier than everything else.

Coal type definitions changed in 2022. PCI was previously reported inside the coking coal figure. Comparisons of coking coal across that boundary are not like-for-like; comparisons of total output are.

Export value is the declared sales value in Australian dollars on the quarterly returns. It is not a spot price and should not be read as one.

How Queensland sits nationally. Queensland is the larger of Australia's two coal states, ahead of New South Wales. For production by state, exports by grade and destination and export earnings back to 1990, see Australian coal production and export statistics. That page is built from the federal Resources and Energy Quarterly, whose Queensland figures are estimates and differ from the state returns used here.

Estimated value by mine. The value map is the one modelled figure on this page. It multiplies each mine’s reported saleable tonnes of each coal type by the state’s average export unit value for that type over the same financial year. It is labelled as an estimate wherever it appears and is kept out of the downloadable files and the dataset description, which carry only the department’s own figures.