In steel and base metal production processes various types of fossil coal are used. Thermal coal is used for providing the necessary thermal energy for the process, while coking coal is used as a reducing agent to transform the metal ore in pure metal.
 
Regular black pellets can be used as a replacement for thermal coal. However, black pellets with a higher carbonization degree can be used as a substitute for coking coal. The higher carbonization degree results in a higher fixed carbon content which makes them suitable as a reducing agent in the steel and base metal processes.