What CBAM costs your EU buyer
If you send no verified emissions data, your buyer must use the EU default value for your product plus a penalty mark-up. Here is what that costs them, and how it rises every year to 2034.
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Pick a product and press Calculate. You'll see the cost your EU buyer carries if you send no emissions data, and how it rises every year to 2034.
Questions exporters ask
- What is a CBAM default value?
- A value published by the European Commission for each product (CN code) and country of production, in tonnes of CO2e per tonne of product. The EU importer must use it when the producer does not supply actual emissions checked by an accredited verifier.
- How big is the mark-up on default values?
- 10% for imports in 2026, 20% in 2027 and 30% from 2028. Fertilisers have a 1% mark-up.
- Who pays for CBAM certificates?
- The authorised CBAM declarant in the EU, usually the importer. In practice the cost is often passed back to the exporter through price negotiations, which is why buyers ask suppliers for emissions data.
- What is the free allocation adjustment?
- EU producers still receive some free emission allowances, so importers deduct the same share: 97.5% of the EU benchmark in 2026, falling to 95% in 2027, 90% in 2028, 77.5% in 2029, 51.5% in 2030, 39% in 2031, 26.5% in 2032, 14% in 2033 and zero from 2034.
- When is the first CBAM declaration due?
- The first annual declaration, covering goods imported in 2026, is due by 30 September 2027.
- How can an exporter lower the CBAM cost?
- By giving the buyer actual emissions for its own plant, calculated with the EU method and checked by an EU-accredited verifier. Many processors, for example fastener and wire makers, come in well below the default.
Looking up one product? See CBAM default values by country.
Indicative estimate only, for planning. Not legal, tax or customs advice. The importer's actual obligation also depends on carbon prices paid in the country of production, the certificate price on the date of purchase, the cross-sectoral correction factor (taken as 1 here) and how the goods are declared. Nothing you type is sent to us: the calculation runs in your browser. See the disclaimer.
Default values: Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2621 Annex I/IV as corrected by (EU) 2026/1740 (Commission file v2, 6 Aug 2026). Benchmarks: Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2620, Annex section 5, Column B (Commission file v1, 6 Feb 2025). Mark-up: 10% in 2026, 20% in 2027, 30% from 2028.