Indonesia Coal HS270119 Export Data 2025 January Overview

Indonesia Coal (HS 270119) 2025 January Export: Key Takeaways

Indonesia's January 2025 coal exports under HS Code 270119 reveal a high-volume, lower-grade market dominated by India, which accounted for 26.19% of export value and 30.42% of weight, signaling its role as the primary buyer of thermal coal. China and South Korea form a secondary cluster for higher-grade coal, while Southeast Asian markets like the Philippines and Vietnam drive mid-volume demand. The new Indonesian regulation mandating HBA benchmark pricing will reshape contract negotiations, particularly with price-sensitive buyers like India. This analysis, based on cleanly processed Customs data from the yTrade database, highlights the critical balance between product grade, buyer concentration, and regulatory shifts in Indonesia's coal export landscape.

Indonesia Coal (HS 270119) 2025 January Export Background

Indonesia Coal (HS Code 270119), covering non-agglomerated types like thermal coal, fuels power plants and heavy industries globally, maintaining steady demand despite energy shifts. In early 2025, Indonesia tightened export controls, mandating coal sales at government-set HBA prices to boost state revenue and market influence [SPGlobal]. As the world’s top exporter, Indonesia’s January 2025 coal shipments under HS Code 270119 remain critical for Asian markets like India and China, which rely on its supply.

Indonesia Coal (HS 270119) 2025 January Export: Trend Summary

Key Observations

In January 2025, Indonesia's coal exports under HS Code 270119 demonstrated solid performance with a volume of 25.39 billion kg and a value of 1.68 billion USD, driven by typical seasonal demand increases during the northern hemisphere winter. The average unit price of 0.07 USD/kg remained competitive, reflecting stable market conditions ahead of significant regulatory changes.

Price and Volume Dynamics

The volume and price data for January suggest quarter-over-quarter stability and year-over-year growth potential, aligned with industry seasonal cycles where winter stock replenishment in key markets like China and India boosts export activity. The unit price, while modest, indicates consistent pricing strategies prior to the policy shift, with no extreme deviations that would signal market disruption at this stage.

External Context and Outlook

The announcement of Indonesia's new coal export pricing policy, effective March 1, 2025, which mandates using the government-set HBA benchmark [S&P Global], is poised to introduce volatility and potentially constrain future exports as major buyers adopt a wait-and-see approach (S&P Global). This move aims to enhance state revenue and control over global coal sales, likely influencing trade dynamics for the remainder of 2025.

Indonesia Coal (HS 270119) 2025 January Export: HS Code Breakdown

Product Specialization and Concentration

In January 2025, Indonesia's coal exports under HS Code 270119 were entirely concentrated on a single product: HS Code 27011900, described as "Coal; (other than anthracite and bituminous), whether or not pulverised but not agglomerated". This sub-code accounted for all export value, weight, and quantity, with a unit price of approximately 0.07 USD per kilogram, indicating a low-value, bulk commodity specialization.

Value-Chain Structure and Grade Analysis

With no other sub-codes present in the breakdown, the export structure is monolithic, focused solely on this specific grade of non-anthracite and non-bituminous coal. This lack of diversification suggests a trade in fungible bulk commodities, where products are largely undifferentiated and likely priced against standard market indices rather than based on unique qualities or processing stages.

Strategic Implication and Pricing Power

The homogeneous nature of Indonesia's coal exports under HS Code 270119 means pricing power is heavily influenced by global commodity markets and regulatory changes. Recent policies, such as Indonesia's mandate to price thermal coal exports using the government-set HBA benchmark [S&P Global], could strengthen state control but may also introduce volatility and disrupt trade flows with major importers like India and China (VietnamPlus). Market players should monitor these regulations closely to adapt contracts and mitigate risks.

Check Detailed HS 270119 Breakdown

Indonesia Coal (HS 270119) 2025 January Export: Market Concentration

Geographic Concentration and Dominant Role

Indonesia's January 2025 coal exports under HS Code 270119 show a clear market concentration, with India serving as the dominant buyer. India accounted for over a quarter of all export value (26.19%) and nearly a third of the total weight (30.42%), indicating it is the primary destination for large-volume, lower-unit-price shipments. This significant disparity between its value share and higher weight share confirms that a substantial portion of exports to India consists of lower-grade thermal coal.

Partner Countries Clusters and Underlying Causes

The import data reveals three distinct buyer clusters. The first is India, which operates as the high-volume, lower-grade hub. The second cluster includes China Mainland and South Korea, which show a closer alignment between their value and weight ratios, suggesting they import higher-calorific value coal for power generation and industrial use. The third cluster consists of regional Southeast Asian nations like the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia, whose imports are likely driven by geographic proximity and energy demands for local power plants, resulting in mid-volume shipments.

Forward Strategy and Supply Chain Implications

For market players, this geographic spread underscores the need to align product grade with destination. The new Indonesian regulation mandating that thermal coal exports be priced at the government-set HBA benchmark [S&P Global Commodity Insights] will directly impact contract negotiations, particularly with major price-sensitive buyers like India. Exporters must now factor this policy into their pricing strategies for all contracts to avoid fines or license revocation (S&P Global). This move to strengthen state control over international sales may lead to a short-term slowdown as key markets assess the new price structure.

Get Complete Partner Countries Profile

Indonesia Coal (HS 270119) 2025 January Export: Action Plan for Coal Market Expansion

Strategic Supply Chain Overview

Indonesia's January 2025 coal export strategy under HS Code 270119 is defined by a monolithic, low-value product focus. Price is driven by global thermal coal indices and Indonesia's new HBA benchmark policy. This creates high exposure to regulatory shifts and commodity cycles. Supply chains must prioritize bulk logistics and grade alignment with key buyers like India and China. This structure limits pricing power and increases vulnerability to demand shocks or policy fines.

Action Plan: Data-Driven Steps for Coal Market Execution

• Monitor daily HBA index changes and adjust contract pricing immediately. This prevents regulatory non-compliance and avoids export license risks.
• Track Indian import volume patterns weekly to anticipate demand cycles. This allows for optimized shipment scheduling and avoids port congestion.
• Analyze Chinese and South Korean customs data for calorific value requirements. This ensures grade matching and maintains premium market access.
• Use real-time vessel tracking to manage logistics to Southeast Asian partners. This reduces demurrage costs and secures regional supply chain reliability.
• Audit all existing contracts against the new HBA mandate within 30 days. This identifies non-compliant terms early and minimizes renegotiation delays.

Take Action Now —— Explore Indonesia Coal Export Data

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is driving the recent changes in Indonesia Coal Export 2025 January?

The key driver is Indonesia's new policy mandating thermal coal exports to be priced using the government-set HBA benchmark, which may introduce volatility and disrupt trade flows with major buyers like India and China.

Q2. Who are the main partner countries in this Indonesia Coal Export 2025 January?

India is the dominant buyer, accounting for 26.19% of export value and 30.42% of weight, followed by China Mainland and South Korea, which import higher-calorific coal.

Q3. Why does the unit price differ across Indonesia Coal Export 2025 January partner countries?

The uniform unit price (0.07 USD/kg) reflects Indonesia's monolithic export structure, focused solely on non-anthracite, non-bituminous coal (HS Code 27011900), a low-value bulk commodity.

Q4. What should exporters in Indonesia focus on in the current Coal export market?

Exporters must align product grades with destination needs (e.g., bulk shipments to India, higher-grade coal to China/South Korea) and adapt contracts to comply with the new HBA pricing mandate.

Q5. What does this Indonesia Coal export pattern mean for buyers in partner countries?

Buyers in price-sensitive markets like India may face short-term disruptions, while those in higher-grade markets (China/South Korea) can expect stable supply but must monitor policy-driven price adjustments.

Q6. How is Coal typically used in this trade flow?

The exported coal is primarily used for power generation and industrial applications, with lower-grade shipments fueling thermal plants and higher-grade coal supporting specialized industrial processes.

Q7. What is yTrade?

yTrade is a global trade data platform that provides SaaS and API access to provide accurate, structured, and searchable import-export trade data for international business decisions. It enables users to access verified shipment records, analyse buyer and supplier activity, review company trade overviews, assess compliance risks, and monitor real market demand — all from a single, scalable system.

Q8. How can yTrade benefit my business?

yTrade helps businesses:

• Identify active and verified buyers through global import data
• Discover reliable suppliers with real shipment history
• Monitor competitor previous trade activity
• Reduce sourcing and compliance risk with worldwide export data
• Support data-driven sales, procurement, and market expansion decisions
• Save time by replacing manual research with structured trade data analysis

Q9. What features does yTrade offer?

yTrade provides practical, trade-focused tools including:

• Global shipment search by HS code, product, company name, port, or country
• Detailed company trade profiles with ownership and relationship mapping
• Buyer and supplier discovery with real transaction trade records
• Basic compliance with background checks and sanctions risk screening
• Competitor's shipment tracking and selling/buying behaviour analysis
• Trade Trends to identify market demand and trade flow monitoring
• Big-Data Search engine with percised filters to generate accurate data reports
• Global Trade Data API access for Internal Softwares like CRM, ERP, and SaaS integration All data is structured, verified, and cleaned to ensure consistency and reliability.