India: Pet coke production declines, consumption remains subdued in Aug’25

• Cement demand slowdown continues to weigh on consumption
• Production meets 68% of Aug consumption, imports fill supply gap

India’s domestic production of petroleum coke in August 2025 was 1.18 million tonnes (mnt), down 5% compared with 1.24 mnt in August 2024. On a m-o-m basis, production also declined by 4.3% from 1.24 mnt in July 2025. Cumulative production during April-August 2025 stood at 5.95 mnt, lower by 4.4% than 6.23 mnt in the same period of 2024. The decline reflects refiners’ continued focus on higher-value fuels such as diesel, petrol, and aviation turbine fuel (ATF).

In August 2025, pet coke accounted for 5.03% of India’s total petroleum product output of 23.48 mnt. Domestic production met 68.2% of consumption requirements in August, with the remaining gap covered by imports.

Consumption trends remain weak

Consumption of pet coke in India during August 2025 was 1.73 mnt, almost flat compared with 1.72 mnt in August 2024 but 3.9% lower than 1.80 mnt in July 2025. On a cumulative basis, April-August 2025 consumption was 8.38 mnt, down 8.4% from 9.15 mnt in the same period of 2024. In August 2025, pet coke made up 9.21% of India’s total petroleum product use of 18.73 mnt.

The cement industry remained the largest consumer, although weak construction and infrastructure activity during the monsoon season continued to affect offtake. Other demand came from lime kilns, gasification units, and aluminium industries. Imports played a key role in bridging supply gaps, with additional allocations of raw petroleum coke (RPC) imports for calciners helping support the availability of calcined pet coke (CPC).

Outlook

Pet coke demand is expected to improve from October 2025 as construction activity picks up after the monsoon and cement production ramps up. Production will remain closely linked to refinery operations and their product-mix strategies, while imports will continue to supplement domestic supply. Government import regulations and refinery utilisation levels are likely to shape availability and prices in the coming months.