Metallurgical coal
Coking coal and pulverised-coal-injection products are used in steelmaking. Quality characteristics and customer specifications influence processing, blending and terminal allocation.
Mine to market · Coal
From coal seam to terminal.
Follow a representative Australian coal chain through extraction, the coal handling and preparation plant, product stockpiles, heavy rail and an east-coast export terminal.
Follow the materialChoose a commodity
Four resources. Four different operating chains.
Iron ore is the original pit-to-port system. Coal, lithium and gold follow different processing, transport and customer pathways.
Why the route changes
Coal does not simply copy the iron ore chain.
Coal can be mined by open-cut or underground methods and sold into metallurgical or thermal markets. Raw coal commonly passes through a coal handling and preparation plant (CHPP), where crushing, sizing, washing and dewatering produce customer-ready streams. Product coal then moves through shared rail and terminal networks rather than one operator-owned Pilbara system.
Read the handovers: the useful question is not only “what machine is next?” It is what product leaves each stage, what quality information travels with it and which downstream system is ready to receive it.
Products and markets
The same commodity can leave a site in different forms.
Mine design, ore characteristics, customer specification and local infrastructure determine the actual route.
Thermal coal
Thermal coal is primarily supplied for energy generation and industrial heat. Export and domestic routes vary by basin, mine and contract.
Multiple product streams
One operation may produce more than one saleable coal product. Sampling, laboratory results, stockpile identity and blending decisions remain important through the chain.
The operating chain
Six handovers from resource to customer.
A representative Australian pathway. Individual mines and products can add, remove or reorder stages.
01Extraction Mine the seam
Open-cut fleets remove overburden and recover exposed seams; underground operations can use continuous miners or longwall systems. Geological control and selective mining protect product quality.
Material handoverRun-of-mine coal delivered to a ROM stockpile or plant feed system.
- Draglines or excavators
- Haul trucks
- Longwall or continuous miners
- Dozers and graders
02CHPP Crush and wash
The CHPP receives raw coal, reduces and separates size fractions, removes reject material and dewaters product. Dense-medium and flotation circuits may be used depending on the coal and plant.
Material handoverSeparated, dewatered coal streams meeting the site's product plan.
- ROM feeders
- Crushers and screens
- Dense-medium circuits
- Flotation and dewatering
03Product control Sample and stockpile
Product conveyors feed defined stockpiles. Sampling, laboratory testing, moisture control and blending decisions support traceability and customer specification.
Material handoverA nominated product parcel ready for train loading or a domestic customer.
- Sample stations
- Stackers
- Reclaim feeders
- Stockpile management systems
04Land transport Load and rail
Train load-out systems place product into wagons for movement across multi-user coal networks. Some routes include a road-haul leg before rail or direct delivery.
Material handoverA documented train consist accepted into the rail network.
- Load-out bins
- Coal wagons
- Locomotives
- Network and train control
05Port stockyard Receive at terminal
Export terminals unload trains, sample coal and transfer it to customer- or cargo-specific stockpiles. Shared terminals coordinate many mines, rail operators and vessel schedules.
Material handoverCoal positioned in the terminal stockyard for the nominated vessel parcel.
- Train dump stations
- Conveyors
- Stackers and reclaimers
- Dust and water systems
06Export Reclaim and shipload
Reclaimers recover the planned parcel and conveyors deliver it to the berth. Shiploaders distribute coal through the vessel holds under terminal and marine controls.
Material handoverSaleable coal loaded aboard the nominated vessel or delivered to a domestic user.
- Reclaimers
- Outbound conveyors
- Shiploaders
- Sampling and marine systems
Australian examples
Real operations show how the route changes.
These are high-level, public examples—not site procedures, haulage instructions or complete product-routing diagrams.
Bowen Basin coal chain
Mines connect through the Central Queensland Coal Network to major terminals including Hay Point, Dalrymple Bay, Gladstone and Abbot Point. The exact route depends on mine access and terminal contracts.
Whitehaven Coal profileHunter Valley coal chain
Product coal from Hunter and Gunnedah basin operations moves by rail to Newcastle terminals, where trains are unloaded, coal is stockpiled and vessels are loaded for export.
Yancoal Australia profileNarrabri and Maules Creek
Whitehaven operates underground and open-cut mines in the region. Product preparation and shared rail infrastructure connect the basin with the Newcastle export system.
Whitehaven Coal profilePeople behind the chain
Different products create different role mixes.
Open-cut operatorsUnderground minersCHPP operatorsProcess techniciansElectriciansMechanical fittersDiesel fittersTrain controllersRail crewsTerminal operatorsLaboratory techniciansGeologistsVentilation officersSchedulers
Sources and further reading
Operator and infrastructure sources.
Checked 30 August 2026. External links open the primary source.
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Aurizon — Central Queensland Coal Network
Official overview of the multi-user rail systems connecting more than 50 mines with five export terminals and domestic customers.
Dalrymple Bay Terminal
Operator overview of the multi-user metallurgical-coal terminal at the Port of Hay Point.
Port Waratah Coal Services
Official information on the Carrington and Kooragang coal terminals at Newcastle.
Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group
Terminal explanation of inbound train unloading, stockyards and outbound shiploading.
Whitehaven Coal — Australian assets
Current operator list covering Whitehaven's NSW and Queensland coal operations.
Yancoal — sites and operations
Current overview of Yancoal's producing mines and infrastructure interests across Australia.
Technical boundary: Coal characteristics, CHPP circuits, spontaneous-combustion controls, gas management, dust controls, train plans and terminal procedures are operation-specific. Use approved site procedures, competent supervision and current plant documentation.