To download earlier (1980 onward) thermal coal, iron ore or natural gas time series, please click here. For earlier electricity cost data, click here. Full commodity data set in format above is also available with our compliments for year 2000 commodity costs, for 2001 , 2002. More recent data also covers 2003 , 2004 , 2005 , 2006 , 2007 for 2008 or for 2009. We also publish historic and recent US export metallurgical coal prices (also called 'coking coal' or 'met coal').
Thermal coal, iron ore and natural gas data reproduced with thanks and permission from the International Monetary Fund. Steel scrap figures are German fob export prices from the official trade statistics ['scrap: old steel']. Coking coal and electricity figures are provided with thanks from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the US Department of Energy: www.eia.doe.gov. Letter 'e' against any figure above indicates management estimate from Steelonthenet.com.
Thermal coal is Australian, 1200 btu/pound, less than 1% sulfur 14% ash, fob Newcastle/Port Kembla. This data is expressed in US $/metric tonne. Coking coal is average quarterly US coke plant purchase price (source: EIA) with cost, insurance and freight included (cif). Please note that this price series is expressed as a cost per short ton. Natural gas is Russian origin - border price in Germany expressed in US $ per 1000 cubic meters of gas. Electricity figures are average monthly US costs for industrial consumers. Units are cents per kilowatt hour.
Ore prices are for Chinese imported iron ore fines (62% Fe spot, CFR Tianjin port). Units are cents per dry metric tonne unit.
To see how the input costs can be used to assess current steelmaking costs, visit our EAF steel cost page. Or go to our integrated steelmaking cost model page.
To estimate the effect of a change in value of a main steelmaking commodity (scrap, ore, other steel raw materials, energy, or labour) on the production cost of any steel product made through BOF or EAF steelmaking, please contact our steel cost modelling economists.