
Leading countries based on hard coal production 2021
coal consumer, at 86.2 exajoules. Hard coal refers to anthracite, which has the highest density and least volatile matter among all forms of coal. In the past it was the main fuel for locomotives and today is used primarily for metallurgy. It is differentiated from soft coal, or bituminous coal, which has a lower fixed carbon content and includes greater amounts of sulfur and nitrogen.
China is by far the leading hard coal producer worldwide. In 2021, the economic powerhouse was responsible for over 3.77 billion metric tons of hard coal produced. In 2021, China was also the leading global