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How to check coal quality when the truck arrives
Most coal disputes start after the truck has been tipped. Ten minutes of checking before you unload saves arguments later, and suppliers take buyers who check seriously.
Start with the weight
Every truck should come with a weighbridge slip from the loading point. If you can, weigh it again on a weighbridge near you before unloading, then weigh the empty truck after. The difference is what you received.
A few hundred kilos of difference over a long trip is normal, mostly from moisture drying out. A difference of more than about 1% is worth raising straight away, with both slips in hand.
Look before you tip
Climb up and look across the load. Good coal is black and breaks with shiny or dull faces. Grey or brown slabs that feel heavy and do not shine are usually shale or stone, which does not burn.
Check the sides and the bottom when the tipper starts to lift. A load that is fine on top and full of dust or stone underneath is an old trick.
Check the moisture
Pick up a handful from inside the load, not the surface. It should not stick together or leave your palm wet. Water dripping from the tailgate means you are paying for water.
Some moisture is normal, around 5 to 10% for Balochistan coal. Rain on an open truck can add several percent, so ask whether the load was covered.
Check the size
If you ordered lump, the load should be mostly large pieces with a modest share of smaller coal. If more than a fifth of it is dust and small chips, you have been sent something closer to run-of-mine, which is cheaper.
Take a photo of a shovelful next to something for scale. It helps if you need to make a complaint.
Take a sample properly
Take small scoops from at least ten places across the load as it is tipped, mix them on a clean sheet, then quarter the pile down to about 2 kg. Seal it in a plastic bag, write the truck number and date on it, and keep it until you have finished burning that load.
If a load burns badly, that sample is your evidence. You can send it to a lab for a proper analysis of heat value, ash, sulphur and moisture. Our guide on reading a coal analysis explains what the figures mean.
If something is wrong
Call the supplier before you unload, not after you have burnt half of it. Send photos, the weighbridge slips and the details of what you found.
A good supplier will either agree an adjustment on the price, take the load back, or make it up on the next truck. If a supplier refuses to discuss obvious stone or a weight shortfall, that tells you what you need to know about the next order.
Prices are indicative, per tonne, excluding sales tax, and change week to week. See today's sheet or ask us for a confirmed price.
