A by-product of coal gas manufacture, pitch coke is a high purity carbon residue produced from coal tar that appears during coke production.

Coal tar pitch is a by-product resulting from the thermal distillation of bituminous coal or graphite manufacturing. Because it is condensed from the gas phase, coal tar pitch is inherently low in ash, metals, and other non-carbonaceous substances. Therefore, pitch coke has a lower density than other comparable carbons.

Coal tar pitch coke is a highly aromatic feedstock and is highly graphitizable. Pitch coke is also inherently low in sulfur and has relatively high thermal conductivity. With respect to almost everything but density, pitch coke closely resembles graphite in a variety of categories.