While it’s not the most valuable resource inFallout 76,coal is one of those materials players will need occasionally. Since coal is no longer required to craft fuel, it has lost a lot of its value. However, it is still required to craft a few items in the game.
Collecting lots of coal can be a tedious job, but with the right knowledge, that task can be made a lot easier. From taking over certain workshops to heading down the mines, there are a few things that players can do to maximize the amount of coal they come across.
Updated Jul 11, 2025, by Benjamin Joe:The original article contained a lot of the core information about gathering coal. However, there were a couple of things that didn’t get a mention that deserve a space in this piece. The first is CAMP collectors. There are CAMP resource collectors for pretty much everything in the game, including coal. Also, the original piece didn’t go into detail regarding the many uses of coal. This update adds the two aforementioned sections to further help players understand the role of coal inFallout 76.
7What Coal Is Used For
Not As Useful As It Used To Be
Coal used to be a core component that was needed for crafting gunpowder, which is needed to make most of the basic ammo types in the game. This meant that coal used to be quite a popular resource. However, a few changes have minimized the amount of fuel that players need to get.Players can now craft gunpowder without using any coal.
While coal is no longer required for ammo production, it is still needed to craft a handful of items. These items include a serum, water filters,a handful of Power Armor mods, and a few other items. Since these items don’t need crafting often, the value of coal has dropped considerably.
6The Best CAMP Locations For Farming Coal
Passively Generate Coal
There are lots of ore deposits dotted around Appalachia. Some of them produce steel, others are good for making aluminum, but there are a few that are ideal for generating coal. If the player places theirCAMPover a coal vein, then they will be able to build an extractor. These can be found in the resource section of the build menu.There are quite a few coal veins that players can place their CAMP over:
When a mineral extractor has been built and powered,it will produce around 25 coal per hour.While it’s not the fastest way of getting coal, using an extractor in combination with the other methods on this list gives players a nice boost.
5CAMP Collectors That Produce Coal
Let The Coal Come To You
There are lots of CAMP collectors that players can unlock and purchase. Each one can be programmed to collect certain items. Some of the most popular ones are those that collect things likeHoliday Gifts during the festive periodand ones that collect commonly used resources such as adhesive and lead.
There are also a couple of CAMP collectors that scoop up the occasional lump of coal. While the amount that these machines pick up isn’t a lot, it can be just enough for the player’s crafting needs. The CAMP collectors that can pick up coal are:
4Where To Mine Unrefined Coal
There are mines located all over the map inFallout 76.Most mines are located in theAsh Heap region. However, the one that is primarily used for mining unrefined coal is located in the Forest region.
Gauley Mineis located north of Slocum’s Joe. The player will need to visit Gauley Mine during one of the main questlines. There are two location markers for this place. One for the entrance and another for the exit.
Once inside the mine, there are coal veins dotted all around the mine. They can be pretty tricky to spot, but they stick out from the wall, floor, and ceiling of the mine.
Unrefined coal can also be found scattered throughoutThe Burning Mine.The Burning Mine is located northwest of Nuka-World On Tour. The reason why this place isn’t as popular as Gauley Mine is mainly due to the enemies that spawn there.
The Burning Mine is home to lots of Mole Miners. While this isn’t an issue for high-level players, newer players may struggle to make their way through this mine. Also, visibility isn’t very good in this mine, making it harder to see where the coal veins are located.
3A Top Tip For Mining Coal
Equipped Excavator Power Armor
Excavator Power Armor can be unlocked via the quest Miner Miracles. While it isn’t the best Power Armor set inFallout 76,it is a unique set that gives players two special bonuses when all pieces are equipped:
Being able to mine double the amount of ore makes gathering large quantities of unrefined coal much easier. When mining, players should always use their Excavator Power Armor set.
2Turning Unrefined Coal Into Coal
It’s Time To Smelt
Once a player has collected all the unrefined coal they require, it will then need to be smelted into coal. Ore can be smelted at a Chemistry Station.It costs 5 acid and 5 unrefined ore to produce 2 coal.While this is expensive, there is something that players can do tomaximize the amount of coal they make.
The perkSuper Duper gives players a chance to produce double the amount of coal crafted.It’s not only coal that this perk works with. It can be used to double most craftable items in the game. Super Duper has 3 ranks. Each rank gives the player a higher chance of crafting double the amount of coal.
When crafting coal, players should always use the Super Duper perk. The only downside to this perk is that it can’t be unlocked until level 50.
1Coal Inside Holiday Gifts
A Seasonal Treat
This method of farming coal can only be done during the seasonal event,Holiday Scorched. This is an annual event that takes place over the Christmas period.
During the event, Appalachia will be overrun by Holiday Scorched. These are Scorched dressed in festive outfits. When killed, they will drop a Holiday Gift. They come in three sizes: small, medium, and large.
Players will want small gifts in order to get extra coal.Once opened, most small gifts will give the player 1 coal.While it’s not much, it’s better than nothing.
