<!-- generated: provider=openrouter model=arcee-ai/trinity-large-preview:free date=2026-02-19 source=book-1-chapter-10 -->

# Coal-Heaver

## Definition

A labourer who unloads coal from ships, which Smith identifies as performing work that is extremely arduous, dirty, and subject to irregular employment, commanding wages that are four to five times higher than common labour.

## Source Chapter

Book I, Chapter 10

## Context

Smith uses coal-heavers to illustrate how the combination of disagreeable work, physical hardship, and irregular employment can drive wages far above the common level. This example demonstrates how multiple factors can combine to create significant wage differentials.

## Economic Domain

Distribution

---
