EU CBAM First Certificate Price: €75.36/tCO₂e — Definitive Phase Fully Operational
The European Commission confirmed the first quarterly CBAM certificate price at €75.36 per metric ton of CO₂e on 7 April 2026 — directly anchored to the EU ETS auction average for Q1 2026. Industrial importers across six sectors now face binding carbon cost obligations at the EU border.
What Happened
On 7 April 2026, the European Commission published the first official CBAM quarterly certificate price: €75.36 per metric ton of CO₂e. The price is derived from the average closing price of EU ETS allowances auctioned during January, February, and March 2026 — creating a direct mechanical link between the two mechanisms.
This price applies to CBAM certificates covering embedded emissions in imports of iron and steel, aluminium, cement, hydrogen, fertilizers, and electricity that entered the EU in Q1 2026. Importers must surrender the corresponding number of certificates by the end of May 2027 (for 2026 calendar year imports).
The definitive phase of CBAM began on 1 January 2026. The transitional phase (reporting-only, no certificate purchase required) ran from October 2023 through December 2025. That grace period is over.
What Comes Next
The quarterly certificate price will be published four times per year. Future dates: 6 July 2026 (Q2), 5 October 2026 (Q3), and 4 January 2027 (Q4 2026). Each price will reflect the prior quarter's EU ETS auction average, meaning CBAM costs move in lockstep with EU carbon prices.
Simultaneously, the UK published draft CBAM regulations on 9 April 2026, with a consultation closing 21 May 2026. The UK mechanism, targeting similar sectors, is expected to come into force in 2027 — extending the carbon border cost regime to a second major trading bloc.
The European Commission also proposed a parallel update to the EU ETS Market Stability Reserve on 1 April 2026, which — if adopted — would stabilise the EU ETS price band and by extension anchor CBAM certificate prices within a more predictable range for importers planning multi-year procurement strategies.
Why This Matters for Supply Chains
For EU importers of covered goods, the €75.36/tCO₂e price creates a calculable additional cost that varies by product's embedded carbon intensity. A tonne of primary steel with a carbon footprint of 1.8 tCO₂e per tonne of steel carries a CBAM liability of approximately €135.65 — material enough to shift sourcing decisions toward lower-carbon suppliers in third countries, or to domestic EU production.
Companies that have not yet mapped the embedded carbon content of their imported goods are now operating blind on a material compliance cost. Proactive buyers are investing in supplier carbon disclosure programs to quantify actual embedded emissions — which can be lower than the CBAM default values used when actual data is unavailable.
TrustVal helps corporate buyers and project developers navigate carbon markets with confidence. Talk to our team about your CBAM exposure and carbon strategy.
Contact TrustVal →
The CBAM's first live price confirms what carbon market participants have anticipated: EU border carbon costs are now a procurement reality, not a future risk. For corporate buyers sourcing steel, aluminium, or cement from outside the EU, embedded carbon intensity is now a direct cost variable alongside quality, price, and logistics. TrustVal helps clients quantify this exposure and identify suppliers with lower embedded carbon footprints — reducing both CBAM liabilities and Scope 3 emissions simultaneously.