Anthracite is the highest-grade type of coal, containing over 90% carbon and less than 10% volatile matter. It burns with almost no smoke, producing a short, bluish flame, and leaves little ash. It has a high calorific value. It is dense, hard, chemically stable, and resistant to acid and alkali corrosion.

my country's thermal coal resources are mainly concentrated in Shaanxi, Shanxi, and western Inner Mongolia (the "three western regions"), while consumption is concentrated in the eastern and central regions, forming a pattern of "coal transportation from north to south and from west to east."