Colombian metallurgical coal traceability
Metallurgical coal feeds coke ovens and steel mills. This is how its transactions are recorded in the Mineral Traceability Platform (PTM) and what you can ask your Colombian supplier.
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MinTrace is an Technology Operator for Mineral Traceability (OTTM) authorized by the National Mining Agency (ANM)
Why it matters
Coal weighs heavily in Colombia's exports. According to Bulletin 26, "Minería en cifras", of Colombia's Mining and Energy Planning Unit (UPME), February 2026 (opens in a new tab), in 2025 thermal coal represented 34.0 % of the value of mining exports, coke 7.1 % and unprocessed metallurgical coal 2.1 %.
Metallurgical coal is also a mineral of strategic interest under ANM Resolution 1006 of 2023 (opens in a new tab). In the Single Registry of Mineral Traders (RUCOM), Colombia's registry of mineral traders, it has its own denomination: "coking or metallurgical coal", separate from thermal coal and from crushed or ground coal.
A Technology Operator for Mineral Traceability (OTTM) is a company authorized by Colombia's National Mining Agency (ANM) to record and transmit mineral trading transactions to the Mineral Traceability Platform (PTM), under ANM Resolution 759 of 2024.
What it is and what it is used for
The Mining Technical Glossary (opens in a new tab) defines coal as an easily combustible sedimentary rock with more than 50 % carbonaceous material by weight, classified by type, rank and grade.
Metallurgical coal is the one that goes to steelmaking. According to the UPME metallurgical coal balance (opens in a new tab), it is used to produce coke, in the steel industry and for export; in 2016, 67 % of the metallurgical coal produced in Colombia went to coke production, 26 % was exported and 7 % went to the steel industry.
Where it comes from in Colombia
Mining titles are concentrated in Boyacá, Norte de Santander and Cundinamarca. The 2025 royalty volume comes mainly from Boyacá and Cundinamarca, followed by Cesar, with nearly a quarter, and Norte de Santander.
For exports, the UPME bulletin places the origin of the metallurgical coal shipped in 2025 in Cundinamarca (56.7 %), Norte de Santander (32.4 %) and Boyacá (5.7 %), with Brazil (35.9 %), Japan (19.1 %) and China (12.6 %) as its main destinations. Tonnage grew 1.0 % compared with 2024, but the value fell 21.8 % because of lower international prices.
How it is recorded in the PTM
The mining title holder reports production when the coal enters its inventory and each sale when it invoices. It may sell the coal raw or crushed, which are different RUCOM denominations, to a trader, a coke plant, a steel mill or an exporter. Each buyer records the purchase when the invoice is issued, after checking the seller in the RUCOM.
When coal becomes coke, the coke plant reports the transformation when it closes each process. According to the technical annex of ANM Resolution 759 of 2024 (opens in a new tab), that report carries the code of the certificate of origin that holds the coal balance, the quantity taken from it, the derived product (coke, code CK) and the loss. The coke keeps the trail back to the title the coal came from.
What MinTrace records for your supplier
For buyers that source coal from many small title holders to feed an oven or fill a shipment, MinTrace checks each supplier in the RUCOM, stores its certificate of origin with a SHA-256 fingerprint and shows the coal inventory with proven origin. When the coal is turned into coke, it calculates the loss between the coal consumed and the coke obtained.
Questions to ask your Colombian supplier
Which OTTM do you use to record your transactions in the PTM?
Which certificates of origin support the coal in this shipment?
If the coal was blended from several producers, how is each purchase recorded?
Can you share the acceptance code of the sale or the international closing?
From what date is recording in the PTM mandatory for your category?
Authorized by Colombia's National Mining Agency (ANM)
MinTrace is a Technology Operator for Mineral Traceability (OTTM) authorized by Colombia's National Mining Agency (ANM) since December 17, 2025 (filing number 20253210663711).
Questions about a Colombian supplier?
Our team can explain what a MinTrace record contains and how to read it.
Frequently asked questions
Are thermal and metallurgical coal recorded the same way in the PTM?
The moments are the same: production when the coal enters inventory, the purchase when the invoice is issued and the sale when it is invoiced. What changes is the RUCOM denomination and the code: the technical annex of Resolution 759 has a code for metallurgical coal (CR), but not a separate one for thermal coal.
How does coke keep the origin of the coal?
Through the transformation report. When the coke plant closes a process, it reports the certificate of origin that holds the coal consumed, the quantity taken from it, the coke obtained and the loss. The PTM deducts the coal balance and updates the coke balance, so each tonne of coke traces back to its coal.