The fuel's reactivity can be defined as a parameter determining its processability in thermochemical processes applied to convert them into energy and/or energy carriers. It depends on many factors, like chemical composition and physical properties of a fuel as well as process parameters. As such it may provide important information on the process results in terms of product output and quality. In the paper the results of reactivity tests performed for Polish hard coals in the process of steam gasification in a fixed bed reactor system as well as the analysis of potential relationships between the reactivity and selected physical and chemical parameters of coal and products quality and quantity using chemometric method (principal component analysis) are presented. The analysis revealed a negative correlation between R-max and the total volume of synthesis gas produced in the process. This regularity was confirmed in the tests of steam gasification of coal to hydrogen-rich gas with CO2 capture under atmospheric pressure and at the temperature of 700 degrees C. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.