China produced 38.15 million tonnes of washed coking coal in May 2026, down 1.6% month on month, according to the latest data from Sxcoal. The volume was also 6.3% lower than the year-ago level, with daily output averaging 1.23 million tonnes.

In early May, while most coking coal mines across major producing areas ran normally after the May Day holiday, some still experienced output disruptions amid longwall moves or underground issues.

A major mine accident in Shanxi's Qinyuan on May 22 triggered stringent safety inspections across key coking coal hubs, further squeezing production. Many operating mines were producing at reduced rates, particularly in Shanxi.

Raw coking coal output declined 1.2% month on month to 106.07 million tonnes in May, which decreased by 3.6% from the previous year.

Ongoing supply constraints continued to buoy China's coking coal market in May. Active buying interest from coke producers along with coke price hikes kept feed coal stocks at mines depleted, encouraging more miners to raise offers.

As of May 29, the CCI index for Shanxi low-sulfur coking coal stood at 1,677 yuan/t, ex-washplant with VAT, jumping 125 yuan/t month on month. High-sulfur grades also advanced by 120 yuan/t to 1,444 yuan/t.

The top five washed coking coal suppliers last month were Shanxi, Shandong, Inner Mongolia, Guizhou, and Anhui, contributing about 75% of China's total output. Three of the five provinces and regions registered month-on-month slides in washed coking coal output.

Coal-rich Shanxi province remained the top supplier in May, contributing 17.31 million tonnes or 45% of the total washed coking coal output, falling 3.6% on the month and 7.4% from the year before. Its raw coking coal output declined 2.3% on the month and 4.4% year on year to 57.66 million tonnes, taking up about 54% of the total.

Southwestern China's Guizhou presented the sharpest month-on-month decline of 12.8% in washed coking coal output, hitting 2.59 million tonnes in May. The volume was also 14.6% lower than the year-ago level.

Inner Mongolia registered an 8.7% month-on-month growth in washed coking coal supply. The May volume stood at 2.90 million tonnes, sliding 6.6% from a year ago.

China's washed coking coal supply amounted to 194.17 million tonnes over January-May, down 1.6% from the same period last year. Daily output over the first five months averaged 1.29 million tonnes, Sxcoal data showed.