- South African thermal coal prices in India rose m-o-m
- India imports 1.59 mnt, remains top buyer in August
South Africa’s non-coking coal exports rose 20% m-o-m to 5.08 mnt in August 2025 from 4.25 mnt in July, supported by improved buying from India, Bangladesh, and Taiwan.
India remains key buyer
India’s imports increased 9% m-o-m to 1.59 mnt in Aug from 1.46 mnt in July, making it the top destination. Pakistan’s intake, however, fell sharply by 64% m-o-m to 0.20 mnt, reflecting weak buying interest.
In between Jan-Aug 2025 India thermal coal imports from South Africa increased by 9% to 19.95 mnt against 18.35 mnt in the last year same timeframe. This is mainly attributed to growing sponge capacity and production in India.
Other Asian markets pick up
Taiwan imported 0.41 mnt in August, up from 0.25 mnt in July, while Bangladesh more than doubled volumes to 0.30 mnt from 0.12 mnt. UAE’s intake dropped to 0.23 mnt from 0.37 mnt, while Vietnam held steady at 0.16 mnt.
European demand softens
The Netherlands imported 0.16 mnt, down slightly from 0.18 mnt in July, Germany procurement was increased two times in August compared to July. However, no imports recorded from rest other European nations in Aug’25.
Market overview
In August, South African thermal coal prices in India saw a decent uptick m-o-m. On a CNF basis, RB2 averaged $87.68/t in August, compared with $83.35/t in July, as higher freight costs continued to support offers for India.
However, South African RB2 and RB3 thermal coal prices at Gangavaram port held stable w-o-w at INR 8,300/t and INR 7,200/t ex-port, respectively. At some eastern ports, offers eased by INR 100-200/t as sellers lowered quotes in response to weak demand.
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