Coal gasification consists of coal pyrolysis and gasification of the pyrolysis products. During gasification gas/gas-, liquid/gas-and solid gas reactions can occur. All three types of reactions are treated, discussion of the heterogeneous solid/gas reaction between coal char and the gasification media (C02" H20, H2) is restricted to the surface reactions, transport phenomena are widely neglected. Some remarks on experimental procedures for studying coal gasification are additionally given.