The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) ran a transitional period with reporting obligations only from October 2023 to the end of 2025. On 1 January 2026 it entered its definitive period: the embedded emissions of covered goods entering the EU are now priced at the border.
Sectors covered
Iron and steel, aluminium, cement, fertilisers, electricity and hydrogen. For iron and steel, aluminium, cement and fertilisers, imports below a cumulative 50 tonnes a year are excluded.
Timeline and price
- 2026: the first year in which emissions are calculated and the financial obligation arises
- 1 February 2027: sales of CBAM certificates begin
- 30 September 2027: deadline for the CBAM declaration covering 2026
- The certificate price follows the EU ETS: the quarterly average for 2026, the weekly average from 2027
- Default emission values carry a mark-up of 10% in 2026, 20% in 2027 and 30% in 2028 (1% for fertilisers)
What it means for raw material suppliers
Refractories and magnesite are not covered by CBAM. But steel and cement producers must provide verified product-level emissions data, and rising default values apply to those that cannot. This leads producers to pay more attention to energy, transport and raw material data.
Contact our sales team for information on our production process and shipments.
Source: GCM Yatırım, “CBAM: from the transitional period to actual cost” (January 2026). EU legislation prevails in practice.
