Coal briquettes formation is a process to convert coal powder into a specific shape with the help of binding materials. An external force is applied to the coal binder mixture to make a firm body of desired shape. The briquettes formed this way will not disintegrated under normal conditions of transportation and use.
Coal briquettes are preferred over raw coal because they are a smokeless, strong and low emissive fuel that can be used in numerous domestic and commercial applications.

The performance of coal briquettes formed is dependent largely upon its thermal properties and the mechanical strength. Nowadays an environmentally safe briquettes formation process is also included in the performance criteria of coal briquettes. The mechanical strength of coal briquettes affects its storage and transportation to the intended market. The studies on coal briquettes show that coal briquette quality depends on many factors like the type of binder, quantity of binder, grade of coal, moisture content, coal particle size, etc, along with time of compaction, compaction temperature and compaction pressure, etc.