Anthracite or hard coal

possesses bright lustrous surfaces when newly fractured, that when handled do not soil the hands. It contains a high percentage of carbon, a small amount of volatile matter and little moisture. It is greatly in demand as a domestic fuel because it burns slowly with an intense heat, practically without flame and produces no smoke. It invariably commands a higher price than soft coal, but in heating value is not superior to the better grades of soft coal. In furnaces for house heating the use of soft coal often gives better satisfaction than hard coal.

The grades of hard coal found in the market will vary with the demand in any locality but those recognized by the trade are:

Egg	Coal will pass through	2¾-inch mesh screen.
Stove	Coal will pass through	2-inch mesh screen.
Chestnut	Coal will pass through	1³⁄₈-inch mesh screen.
Pea	Coal will pass through	¾-inch mesh screen.
No. 1 Buckwheat	Coal will pass through	½-inch mesh screen.
No. 2 Buckwheat	Coal will pass through	¼-inch mesh screen.
No. 3 Buckwheat	Coal will pass through	¹⁄₈-inch mesh screen.

Hard coal of stove and chestnut sizes are those most commonly used for domestic heating, because they are well suited for furnaces and heating stoves. Of the two sizes chestnut coal is most largely used and on account of the greater demand, the price for this size is usually somewhat in advance of the others; at the same time the smaller sizes—pea and buckwheat coals—are less in price for the same grade of coal. Under conditions that will permit their use the latter coals are an economical form of fuel.