The energy value of coal, or the fuel content, is the amount of potential energy in coal that can be converted into actual heating ability. The value can be calculated and compared with different grades of coal or even other materials. Materials of different grades will produce differing amounts of heat for a given mass.
While chemistry provides methods of calculating the heating value of a certain amount of a substance, there is a difference between this theoretical value and its application to real coal. The grade of a sample of coal does not precisely define its chemical composition, so calculating the actual usefulness of coal as a fuel requires determining its proximate and ultimate analysis (see "Chemical Composition" below).
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