US thermal coal exports rose from year-earlier levels in May primarily because of continued jumps in sub-bituminous shipments.

An estimated 4.19mn short tons (st) (3.8mn metric tonnes) of steam coal departed US ports on its way to international customers, according to Commerce Department data released on Tuesday. That compared with 3.93mn st exported in May 2025.

May was the third straight month that estimated US thermal coal exports topped year-earlier levels. The majority of the reason for the increase was continued gains in sub-bituminous coal shipments, which climbed for a fourth month to reach 726,532st, their highest level since September 2024.

US sub-bituminous coal exports were nearly 62pc higher than they had been in May 2025. For the year through May, the US shipped an estimated 2.89mn st of sub-bituminous coal to international customers, compared with 2.06mn st in the same period of 2025.

Most US sub-bituminous coal exports go to South Korea and Japan, where generators favored coal power over natural gas generation in recent months.

US steam coal shipments to South Korea and Japan could continue to be somewhat elevated in the near future. Tighter Indonesian thermal coal availability earlier this year has prompted at least some buyers in South Korea and Japan to recently seek more US coal, some market participants have said.

In May, the US shipped 568,523st of sub-bituminous coal to South Korea and 88,254st to Japan, up from 234,624st and 71,978st a year earlier, respectively.

US shippers also sent 68,972st of sub-bituminous coal and lignite to Mexico, up from almost no cargoes a year earlier. And a trace amount of sub-bituminous coal was destined for the Netherlands in May 2026.

US bituminous coal exports to India — the largest international destination for US thermal coal — also rose when compared with a year earlier, to 1.45mn st from 1.14mn st. May was the second month that US exports to India topped year-earlier levels.

Shipments of US bituminous thermal coal to Canada, Egypt, Germany, Guatemala and Indonesia also rose. But those increases were offset by drops in US bituminous steam coal exports to Argentina, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Italy, Japan, Morocco, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Thailand and Vietnam.

Overall US bituminous thermal coal exports edged down to 3.33mn st from 3.41mn st.

But metallurgical coal exports rose to 4.94mn st in May from 3.88mn st a year earlier. As a result, combined US thermal and metallurgical coal exports climbed by 17pc on the year prior to 9.13mn st in May.

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