Balta

What Balta does

Balta SA is a privately-held Polish commodity trading and integrated logistics company headquartered in Gdańsk, founded in December 1990. The company procures and delivers metallurgical coke (in multiple grades including Low Ash, Blast Furnace, Pea, Nut, Coke Breeze, and Foundry Coke), coking coal, iron ore, and thermal coal to industrial customers in Asia and Europe. Sourcing is diversified across Australia, the United States, Colombia, Canada, South Africa, Italy, and Poland, with seamless coordination between the trading function and in-house logistics operations.

The business is built around a vertically integrated service model that bundles commodity supply with in-house chartering (panamax and capesize bulk vessels), port agency services across all Polish ports, stevedoring and warehousing, inland transportation, cargo insurance, and cargo monitoring. The company operates through offices in Gdańsk (HQ), Munich (via sister company BALTA GmbH, established 2009), Mumbai, Singapore (via BALTA Resources Asia Pacific Pte Ltd), and Ho Chi Minh City, enabling direct B2B sales and long-term contracts with enterprise industrial manufacturers such as steel producers, blast furnace operators, and foundries.

Revenue is generated through transaction margins on commodity trades, with quote-based pricing determined by market conditions, contract terms, and volume requirements. The company is family-controlled, led by CEO Marek Krawczyk and CCO Dariusz Krawczyk, with no disclosed external investors, parent company, or funding rounds. BIMCO membership (license No. 119464) and 35 years of continuous operations provide reputational and relational capital in the dry-bulk and metallurgical commodity trade.

Name

Balta

Legal name

Balta SA

Website

https://baltasa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Balta SA is a Poland-based commodity trading and logistics firm, founded in 1990, that supplies metallurgical coke, coking coal, iron ore, and thermal coal to industrial manufacturers across Asia and Europe through integrated in-house chartering and port services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Commodity Trading

NAICS

Metal Service Centers and Other Metal Merchant Wholesalers (423510)

SIC

Wholesale-Metals & Minerals (No Petroleum) (5050)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTLADAKAA

Dry Bulk Ocean Shipping (Capesize/Panamax/Handysize)

Transportation & Logistics/Freight Transportation (Air, Maritime, Rail, Trucking)/Dry Bulk & Commodities Freight Transport

SECONDARYTLAHALAI

Bulk Cargo Handling Services (Conveying, Grab/Loader Ops, Bagging)

Transportation & Logistics/Ports, Terminals & Maritime Services/Port Equipment & Terminal Operations Services (Stevedoring, Cargo Handling, Gear Rental)

SECONDARYTLADAKAJ

Industrial Minerals & Chemicals (Non-Haz Bulk Powders) Transport

Transportation & Logistics/Freight Transportation (Air, Maritime, Rail, Trucking)/Dry Bulk & Commodities Freight Transport

Keywords

• Metallurgical coke trading
• Coking coal supply
• Industrial commodity logistics
• Bulk shipping chartering
• Iron ore trading

Headquarters

HQ city

Gdansk

HQ country

Poland

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Commodity Trading: Trading of metallurgical coke, coking coal, iron ore, and thermal coal to industrial customers globally. Revenue generated through the margin between purchase and sale prices of bulk commodities, supported by integrated logistics and chartering services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Balta SA is a commodity trading and logistics company that sources, supplies, and delivers industrial raw materials — primarily metallurgical coke (in multiple grades including Low Ash, Pea Coke 10-20mm, Blast Furnace Coke, Nut Coke 20-40mm, Coke Breeze 0-10mm, and Foundry Coke +80/+100mm), Prime Hard Coking Coal, Iron Ore, and Thermal Coal — to industrial customers in Asia and Europe. Deliveries are executed via an integrated in-house logistics stack that includes worldwide panamax and capesize dry-bulk chartering, 24/7 port agency attendance in all Polish ports, stevedoring, warehousing, railcar operations, inland transportation, cargo insurance, and real-time cargo monitoring.

Product overview

Balta SA is a commodity trading and logistics company established in December 1990, specializing in industrial commodities particularly metallurgical coke and coal. The company operates as a single integrated offering combining commodity supply with full logistics support. The core products include Metallurgical Coke (Low Ash, Pea Coke, Blast Furnace Coke, Nut Coke, Coke Breeze, Foundry Coke), Coking Coal (Prime Hard Coking Coal), Iron Ore, and Thermal Coal. These commodities are complemented by a suite of logistics services including worldwide chartering (cape-size and panamax vessels), port agency services, stevedoring and warehousing, inland transportation, cargo insurance, cargo monitoring, and consultancy services. The company maintains offices in Gdańsk, Munich, Mumbai, Singapore, and Ho Chi Minh City, with a sister company BALTA GmbH in Munich handling European trade and seaborne exports from Poland, Australia, US, Colombia, Canada, and Italy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Metallurgical Coke

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BIMCOcoreOthersBALTA is a member of BIMCO (Baltic and International Maritime Council) with license No. 119464. BIMCO is the world's largest private shipping organization with approximately three thousand exclusive and reputable members worldwide.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Glencore: World's largest diversified commodity trader with extensive metallurgical coal production and marketing operations. Competes with Balta in steel-mill coking coal supply but operates its own mines and a vastly broader product range.
• Trafigura: Major global commodity trader with significant metallurgical coal and coke operations alongside broader metals, energy, and freight divisions. Competes with Balta for industrial customers but at substantially larger scale with diversified product portfolio.
• Hartree Partners: Global commodities merchant active in metallurgical coal, iron ore, and freight. Comparable to Balta as a privately-held trading firm with integrated logistics and similar customer base in steel industry.
• Mercuria Energy Trading: Global commodity trading house headquartered in Geneva with active metallurgical coal and coke desks. Operates at much larger scale but overlaps with Balta in coking coal supply to steel mills and dry bulk chartering.
• Vitol: World's largest independent energy and metals trader with dry bulk chartering capabilities through its V-Energy and metals desks. Competes with Balta in industrial commodity supply but at vastly larger scale and broader product scope.

Direct peers

• Corsa Coal: US-based metallurgical coal producer and marketer focused on specialty grades for steel and foundry customers. Comparable niche focus on grade-specific met coal/coke supply chains serving similar end markets to Balta.
• Xcoal Energy & Resources: US-based metallurgical coal exporter with global shipping and logistics capabilities serving steel mill customers. Closely comparable niche: specialized met coal trading with integrated ocean freight, similar mid-sized trader profile to Balta.
• Italiana Coke: Italian metallurgical coke producer and trader. Directly comparable to Balta in foundry coke and metcoke niche, with Balta even shipping from Italy; competing for similar foundry and steel-mill customers in Europe.
• Węglokoks: Polish state-linked coal and coke trading and export company headquartered in Katowice. Directly comparable to Balta as a domestic Polish counterpart specializing in metallurgical coal and coke export from Poland, though operating at larger scale with mining assets.
• Pol-Miedź Trans: Polish metals and minerals trading/transit company historically tied to KGHM copper supply chains. Comparable as a Polish-headquartered metals/minerals trader with integrated logistics and rail/port capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/baltasa

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Balta