- Imports pause amid pending quota approval
- Chinese met coke prices see 4th straight hike
India’s metallurgical coke (met coke) prices exhibited stability w-o-w across key trading hubs on 30 July 2025. Trading activities have witnessed an improvement against last week, resulting in price support.
Met coke prices steady across key hubs
In eastern India, BF-grade (25-90 mm) met coke prices remained unchanged, with BigMint assessing rates at INR 29,000/tonne (t) ex-Jajpur. Similarly, the western region prices witnessed an uptick, with Gandhidham recording ex-works prices of INR 29,800/t.
Import activity on hold amid pending quota approval
A key reason for the domestic market’s stability is the delay in finalising company-wise import quotas under the quantitative restriction (QR) system. According to a market source, “No fresh coke imports have been recorded, as customer-wise import quotas have yet to be approved.”
Once these quotas are finalised, imports are expected to resume, which could impact domestic tags, depending on landed costs and global price trends.
Rising pig iron prices support met coke offers
BigMint’s assessment for steel grade pig iron rose by INR 400/t w-o-w to INR 32,900/t exw Durgapur. Hike in scrap and sponge iron prices along with long steel and semi-finished steel prices seen last week, resulted in over all hike in pig iron prices on weekly basis.
Chinese met coke prices rise further
China’s met coke prices have risen for the fourth time since mid-July-up by RMB 200-220/t in total-as steelmakers accept another RMB 50-55/t hike, driven by strong demand, low coke inventories, and high coking coal costs. However, coke producers face shrinking margins due to surging coking coal prices, limiting output recovery. Some are even operating at a loss or below full capacity.
Major steelmakers in Hebei and Shandong raised coke buying prices this week, while low coke stockpiles have forced mills to restock aggressively.
Traders are holding back sales, anticipating further hikes. Many coke plants are operating with near-zero inventories, and a fifth price increase is expected soon.
Meanwhile, coking coal prices may stabilize in the near term as futures cool and buyers hold back.
Australian coking coal prices remain largely stable
Meanwhile, the international seaborne market also witnessed marginal price increases. Australian premium hard coking coal (PHCC) prices edged up by $1/t w-o-w, settling at $177/t FOB.
Outlook
India’s met coke market is expected to improve in the near term until clarity emerges on the import quota policy. Meanwhile, strengthening pig iron prices may provide a supportive base for future met coke demand.
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