CBAM cost calculator
Enter annual tonnes, emissions intensity, import year, and an editable certificate price to estimate one goods line. Optional sellable-unit and purchase/import-value inputs translate the same estimate into commercial reference views. The deterministic result is an exposure-planning scenario, not the number of certificates to buy, hold, or surrender and not a filing amount or final liability. The calculator does not include your tonnes, emissions intensity, certificate price, sellable units, purchase or import value, or result in its completion event. If optional analytics are accepted, that event includes the selected year and goods-category label alongside standard analytics metadata. No account is required, and this is not legal, tax, customs, compliance, declaration, filing, or audit advice.
Last updated: 2026-07-20Sources: EC DG TAXUD — Price of CBAM certificatesDirective (EU) 2023/959 (amends Art. 10a(1a) of Directive 2003/87/EC — EU ETS free allocation)Regulation (EU) 2023/956 (consolidated text)Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2548European Commission — draft certificate sale and repurchase act
Current assumptions behind the default result
- Certificate price (default)
- €75.28 per tCO2e · Q2 2026 · published 2026-07-06 · EC DG TAXUD — Price of CBAM certificates
- Official CBAM certificate price published by the European Commission on [date]. Source linked.
- This default is a current published planning reference. It is not automatically the applicable price for the import period; use the matching 2026 quarter or relevant weekly price from 2027.
- CBAM-covered share (derived portion of embedded emissions charged)
- 2.5% in 2026 · 48.5% in 2030 · 100% in 2034 — rising as EU ETS free allocation phases out · Directive (EU) 2023/959 (amends Art. 10a(1a) of Directive 2003/87/EC — EU ETS free allocation)
- Emissions intensity
- You provide this. CBAM Pulse supplies no default emission factors — use your supplier’s verified data or the applicable official default values.
Choose the price by import period
- For 2026 imports, use the quarterly 2026 price for the quarter in which the goods were imported, even though sales start on 1 February 2027.
- From 2027, use the relevant weekly price for the period being modelled. Do not reuse the current default without checking its application period.
The price guide explains that distinction. The certificate lifecycle guide covers holdings, annual surrender, repurchase, and cancellation, which this calculator does not perform.
Draft operations: the Commission's 9 July 2026 draft delegated regulation is not adopted. Its proposed platform request, payment, processing, and fee mechanics are not encoded here.
What you need for the calculator
- Annual tonnes imported
- Emissions intensity (tCO2e per tonne) — you provide this
- Import year (2026–2034)
- Editable certificate price (the current published price is a starting reference)
- Optional sellable units and purchase/import value for commercial translations
Not sure if your goods are in scope? Check the CN goods checker first.
Questions about CBAM cost planning
How does the CBAM cost calculator work?
It multiplies your annual tonnes by your emissions intensity to get embedded emissions, applies the CBAM-covered share for the year you pick (the derived portion of embedded emissions charged as EU ETS free allocation phases out), and multiplies by the certificate price. The result is a rough planning estimate, not an official calculation, invoice, or filing figure.
What is the CBAM-covered share and why does it change each year?
The CBAM-covered share is the derived portion of embedded emissions an importer is charged certificates for. It rises as EU ETS free allocation for CBAM sectors is phased out — from 2.5% in 2026 to 48.5% in 2030 and 100% in 2034. Each share is the complement of the legally defined free-allocation adjustment in Directive (EU) 2023/959.
Where does the certificate price come from?
The default is a planning reference and is not automatically the applicable price for your import period. For 2026 imports, use the quarterly 2026 price for the quarter in which the goods were imported. From 2027, use the relevant weekly price. The current editable default is €75.28 per tonne of CO2e for Q2 2026, published on 2026-07-06.
How do the optional commercial translations work?
The calculator divides the same estimated certificate cost by your imported tonnes, optional sellable-unit count, or optional purchase or import value. It shows estimated cost per imported tonne, per sellable unit, and as a percentage of the value you entered. These translations do not change the core CBAM estimate and do not determine pricing, margin, profitability, duty, VAT, or accounting treatment.
What does this estimate leave out?
It does not model quarter-end holding, annual declaration or surrender, repurchase, cancellation, carbon price already paid in the country of origin, supplier-specific verification, product-specific rules, or later price changes unless you edit the inputs. It is not a final certificate count, filing amount, invoice, or legal liability.
Does CBAM Pulse manage certificates or encode draft platform operations?
No. CBAM Pulse does not buy, hold, surrender, repurchase, cancel, select, or manage certificates and does not access the CBAM Registry or common central platform. The Commission's 9 July 2026 draft delegated regulation is not adopted, and its proposed request, payment, processing, and fee mechanics are not encoded in this calculator.