The European Commission announced the first-ever Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) certificate price on April 7, 2026: €75.36 per tonne of CO₂ equivalent. The price reflects the volume-weighted average closing price of EU ETS allowances auctioned through the European Energy Exchange during January–March 2026. This marks the operational start of carbon border pricing for imported goods — a milestone years in the making.
CBAM requires importers of carbon-intensive goods to declare the embedded emissions in their products and surrender CBAM certificates to cover those emissions. From February 2027, importers must begin purchasing certificates to cover goods imported throughout 2026. The sectors covered are: iron and steel, aluminium, cement, hydrogen, fertilisers, and electricity — collectively representing a significant share of global industrial trade flows into the EU.
The quarterly pricing schedule for 2026 has been confirmed: Q2 price on July 6, Q3 on October 5, and Q4 on January 4, 2027. From February 2027 onward, pricing shifts to a weekly calculation based on EUA auction clearing prices, creating a more dynamic, market-linked cost signal for importers.
For industrial buyers and their suppliers, €75.36/t is not an abstraction — it is a quantified cost that makes accurate, auditable embedded emissions data commercially essential for the first time. Companies importing steel from jurisdictions without equivalent carbon pricing now face a direct financial incentive to measure and reduce the emissions intensity of their supply chains. The CBAM is effectively exporting EU carbon pricing standards to global industrial supply chains.
CBAM transforms carbon intensity from a sustainability metric into a balance sheet liability. At TrustVal, we have been anticipating this moment: the demand for precise, independently verifiable emissions data across industrial supply chains is now commercially urgent, not optional. Our dMRV platform is positioned to help manufacturers, importers, and their suppliers build the measurement infrastructure needed to comply with CBAM reporting requirements and minimise certificate purchase costs. The companies that invest in accurate dMRV today will have a structural cost advantage when CBAM obligations begin in 2027.
Primary source: S&P Global, 7 April 2026 | European Commission CBAM page
TrustVal helps corporate buyers and project developers navigate carbon markets with confidence. Our industrial dMRV platform delivers accurate, real-time emissions data for CBAM compliance and voluntary carbon markets.