September 15, 2026 - The United States has strengthened its position as Turkey’s leading supplier of coking coal, with U.S. shipments surging during the first seven months of 2026 as imports from competing suppliers Australia and Russia declined sharply.

Turkey imported approximately 1.89 million metric tons of U.S. coking coal from January through July, an increase of 70.4% from 1.11 million metric tons during the same period in 2025, according to preliminary data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK).

The increase has given U.S. producers a commanding position in the Turkish metallurgical coal market. Turkey's total coking coal imports reached approximately 3.09 million metric tons during the seven-month period, meaning U.S. coal accounted for roughly 61% of the country's imports.

Australia remained Turkey's second-largest supplier but experienced a substantial decline. Australian shipments totaled approximately 770,000 metric tons during January-July, down 38% from 1.24 million metric tons a year earlier.

Russian coking coal shipments also fell considerably, declining 29.9% year over year to approximately 224,000 metric tons.

Other suppliers played much smaller roles in the market. The United Kingdom shipped approximately 82,500 metric tons during the period, while Colombia supplied 77,000 metric tons and Kazakhstan delivered nearly 49,000 metric tons.

Overall, Turkey imported 3.09 million metric tons of coking coal during January-July, an increase of 8.9% compared with the same period of 2025. The value of those imports climbed 17.7% to approximately $615.9 million.

The latest figures continue a shift in Turkey's coking coal sourcing that became increasingly apparent earlier this year. During the first three months of 2026, U.S. shipments had already surged 266.5% year over year, allowing the United States to overtake Australia as Turkey's largest coking coal supplier.

By the end of June, U.S. shipments had reached approximately 1.42 million metric tons, up 47.7% from the corresponding 2025 period. The latest July figures show that the U.S. advantage continued to widen.

July was particularly strong for American suppliers. Turkey imported approximately 469,000 metric tons of U.S. coking coal during the month, more than triple the approximately 147,000 metric tons imported in July 2025.

Turkey's overall coking coal imports totaled approximately 600,000 metric tons in July, rising 15.9% from a year earlier and 14.8% from June. The value of July imports reached approximately $119.8 million.

The growing U.S. share comes as Turkey's steel industry continues to require imported metallurgical coal for blast furnace steelmaking. While Turkey sources coal from several international suppliers, the sharp rise in American shipments combined with falling Australian and Russian volumes has substantially reshaped the country's coking coal supply mix in 2026.

The trend also provides an important overseas market opportunity for U.S. metallurgical coal producers. With more than three-fifths of Turkey's coking coal imports during the first seven months of the year originating in the United States, American coal has established a significant lead in one of the world's important steel-producing markets.