The Volume of Anthracite Coal by Weight

The exact volume of anthracite coal by weight varies. The two main variables why this cannot be calculated precisely based on it's weight is the density of the coal and the size of the coal.

Coal from different sources will have different densities therefore the volume per ton can change from one source to another. This would also apply to single companies that are sourcing their coal from different anthracite veins.

The sizing of the coal is another variable. Smaller sized anthracite coal like rice will have more volume than larger sizes like chestnut. This may sound counter-intuitive but smaller sizes have much more surface area than larger sizes. The air gaps between the coal may be smaller but the total volume of the those air gaps is a lot more because they occur so much more.

Container size is another issue, while the volume may be the same the surface area of the inside of the container is much greater per pound which can cause significant air gaps in particular with larger sizes.

The following chart is for a quick reference only and uses a baseline of 40 cubic foot per ton or another way to put it 50 pounds per cubic foot. Coal bin dimensions assume inside dimensions that can be completely filled without any studs.