Skip to content

Raw Material Prices 2015–2025 | Steel Industry Input Costs

Raw Materials & Energy Prices

Input Costs – Price per Cost Unit
YearMonthThermal Coal
US$/t
Iron Ore
US$/t
Natural Gas
US$/BTU m
Electricity
c/kWh
2015161.4468.239.256.62
2015269.0562.758.276.88
2015364.7658.058.276.79
2015456.2452.286.776.55
2015561.1960.36.686.65
2015658.9662.636.676.98
2015759.952.396.697.3
2015859.1456.196.357.32
2015957.6556.956.287.18
20151054.2653.126.036.87
20151152.4746.865.56.59
20151252.2140.55.096.42
2016149.0241.884.46.44
2016250.2746.833.976.42
2016352.2156.23.916.46
2016450.6960.923.976.44
2016551.3155.134.336.57
2016652.8551.984.767.03
2016761.2457.264.677.23
2016867.3960.894.057.23
2016972.7257.794.257.14
20161094.259.095.346.73
201611103.4373.15.696.66
20161288.1580.025.426.67
2017183.7380.416.146.59
2017279.9889.446.056.63
2017380.987.6556.71
2017483.6570.225.016.6
2017574.4262.435.066.78
2017681.0957.484.897.19
2017787.4967.7457.31
2017898.5876.075.487.22
2017997.8271.535.967.17
20171097.1161.666.186.91
20171196.6464.246.696.73
201712100.8172.257.146.54
20181106.4576.346.666.95
20182105.9577.466.726.81
2018396.6670.356.76.66
2018493.6965.756.936.58
20185105.2966.17.496.82
20186114.3365.047.457.18
20187119.5764.567.67.34
20188117.3467.158.087.22
20189114.1668.449.527.17
201810108.7373.418.796.91
201811100.7373.268.276.88
201812101.3769.157.986.65
2019198.5676.167.266.58
2019295.4288.226.016.68
2019393.1286.475.186.73
2019486.7793.704.926.53
2019582.32100.24.346.71
2019672.49108.93.596.91
2019772.08120.23.627.18
2019865.693.073.687.44
2019966.093.084.217.09
20191068.988.55.066.85
20191167.085.05.156.73
20191266.292.74.626.37
2020169.795.83.636.33
2020267.687.72.916.42
2020366.789.02.726.40
2020458.684.72.126.41
2020552.593.71.586.48
2020652.2103.31.756.95
2020751.6108.51.807.17
2020850.1121.12.867.09
2020954.6123.83.957.01
20201058.4119.84.896.72
20201164.4124.44.846.48
20201283.0155.45.866.40
2021186.8169.67.276.32
2021286.7163.86.167.75
2021394.9168.26.136.98
2021492.2179.87.156.70
20215107.0207.78.916.65
20216130.0214.410.307.22
20217152.0214.112.517.42
20218169.6162.215.437.54
20219185.7124.522.847.61
202110224.5122.931.057.44
202111157.596.227.627.37
202112169.7117.038.037.06
20221197.0132.528.267.19
20222219.8142.827.237.28
20223314.0152.142.397.37
20224310.9151.332.207.70
20225371.9131.229.178.25
20226374.1130.733.368.85
20227402.2108.651.339.31
20228407.0108.970.049.38
20229430.899.859.19.06
202210389.892.639.08.45
202211342.293.335.78.14
202212379.2111.836.048.50
20231318.0122.220.188.32
20232207.5127.616.548.10
20233187.2128.413.817.79
20234194.3117.413.527.50
20235160.5105.210.117.62
20236139.4113.510.358.08
20237140.6114.49.558.32
20238152.6110.211.198.87
20239162.5121.011.558.44
202310142.1119.014.578.01
202311126.8131.114.497.81
202312141.8137.111.517.66
20241124.9135.89.568.07
20242124.2124.48.157.76
20243131.5109.88.557.68
20244135.0112.89.097.79
20245142.0118.910.127.87
20246135.1107.510.878.41
20247137.6106.910.358.73
20248145.899.912.378.67
20249139.292.811.788.45
202410146.6101.412.928.11
202411142.1100.513.937.85
202412129.8102.213.867.96
20251118.699.614.668.31
20252106.9105.115.348.21
20253104.0100.113.248.23
2025498.697.211.598.16
20255104.497.011.668.26
20256109.092.312.378.87
20257112.997.311.629.31
20258112.299.711.159.06
20259106.3103.311.12n/a
202510107.5103.510.89n/a

Table last updated: 28 November 2025. Next update: ~20 December 2025.


Comment on recent commodity price trends

Prices for thermal coal hit an all time high in September 2022, but are now around one quarter of that level having declined rapidly in H1 2023. World iron ore price peaked in mid-2021 and is now less than 50% of their peak level. Click here for further discussion about the current steel price cycle.

Notes and commodity definitions

Thermal Coal: Note the definition has changed over time, as follows.
- From January 2015, prices are for f.o.b. Newcastle, 6000 kcal/kg.
- For 2002–2014, prices are f.o.b. piers, Newcastle/Port Kembla, 6,300 kcal/kg (11,340 btu/lb).
- In both cases, coal has less than 1% sulphur and ash content below 14%. Data is expressed in US$/t.

Iron Ore: price figures are for Chinese imported iron ore fines (62% Fe spot, CFR Tianjin port). The units are $ per tonne.

Natural Gas and Electricity Costs: Gas is Russian origin, border price in Germany expressed in US$ per million metric British Thermal Units.

Electricity figures are average monthly US costs for industrial consumers. Units are cents per kilowatt hour.