The first step in locating a source of coal is to check the local yellow pages for coal wholesalers, coal brokers, etc. If you're lucky, they have a source for blacksmithing or metalurgical coal. If not, you have to decide between locating a source farther from home or making do with a lower grade of coal.

If you decide to try a lower grade of coal, the supplier will have numbers on the chemical makeup of their coal. You will be looking for bituminus coal that is low in sulphur and low in ash. Lumps of 1/2" and smaller seems to work best. Larger lumps can be broken up, but it means more prep work. The industrial coal I am using has the following numbers:

Sulphur 0.8%
Ash 7 to 8%
Volatiles 32%
Moisture 8%
btu's 12,800 (13,500 to 14,500 is better)
size 1.5" down to powder

It's definitely not the best coal for blacksmithing, but it's hard (for me) to beat the price and availability. My supplier is about a 10 minute drive away and sells for $50/ton. To buy a better quality blacksmithing coal, I would have to drive two hours and probably pay $20 (or more) for a 50 pound bag of coal. Sooner or later, I'll make the drive for a few bags of the good coal, and use it only for making forge welds.

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A glossary of blacksmithing terms (under construction)

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