Material Insights · Understanding the Material World

Coal transport and Steel

Their prices have moved together.

Coal transport (energy) and Steel (commodity): 1 relationship.

How they are linked

1. Price link: rails and wagons

Cost and price · Moderate · Both ways

Rails, wagons and locomotives are made of steel, so steel affects railway capital costs. The rail proxy correlates with steel at 0.41 for monthly moves and 0.53 for yearly moves, partly because both follow industrial activity.

  • 0.41 monthly change correlation
  • 0.53 12-month change correlation
  • 0.48 fitted elasticity

Built from the site data on production routes, energy flows, industry value chains, input-output tables and prices.