In 2026, the EU CBAM has fully entered the mandatory implementation phase, with key rules on pricing, trading, accounting, and traceability officially taking effect.

Based on the latest official announcements from the European Commission and the most common practical questions encountered by enterprises, this article summarizes authoritative and actionable compliance points to help global exporters accurately understand policies, avoid risks, and control carbon costs.

1.Certificate Pricing: Quarterly in 2026, Weekly from 2027 Onwards
2026: CBAM certificate prices are published quarterly, four times per year.
From 2027: Shift to weekly pricing, aligned with the weekly average carbon price of the EU ETS.
CO₂eOfficial Price for Q1 2026: €75.36 /tonne CO₂e

2. Purchase Channel: Unified Official Platform Starting February 2027
Starting February 2027, all CBAM certificates must be purchased through the EU central trading platform with fully unified channels. Enterprises must familiarize themselves with system operations in advance to avoid delays in customs clearance and declaration.

3. Pricing Logic: Deeply Linked to the EU ETS
CBAM certificate prices are based on the EU ETS allowance auction clearing price, calculated using a weighted average method. This ensures equal carbon costs for enterprises inside and outside the EU, with no price discrimination or additional premiums.

1. Are supporting materials required for measured values?
Yes, they are mandatory.
All measured emissions data must be accompanied by supporting materials, verified for authenticity, accuracy, and traceability by an EU-accredited verifier. EU importers only need to rely on verification results and do not need to check original documents themselves.

2. Is it necessary to trace the supplier’s testing frequency for natural gas parameters?
There is no requirement to trace the supplier’s testing frequency.
Enterprises only need to ensure that parameters such as net calorific value and emission factors are true and reliable. If this cannot be guaranteed, EU default values must be used.

3. Is it sufficient to calculate only the carbon emissions of steel plates for building steel components?
The core accounting covers carbon emissions from raw steel plates.
Direct emissions from processing such as cutting, welding, electroplating, and finishing are not included in product carbon intensity under CBAM rules. If other production processes are involved, monitoring and accounting are required accordingly.

4. If steel is purchased through distributors, must tracing reach the steel mill?
In principle, tracing to the actual producing steel mill is mandatory.
If original mill data cannot be obtained, the default value of the country of origin will be enforced, which significantly increases carbon costs and compliance inspection risks. Enterprises are advised to improve supply chain traceability and prioritize measured data.

SPricing is quarterly in 2026 and weekly from 2027, leading to more frequent cost fluctuations that require advance calculation.
Measured data > default values and can effectively reduce carbon tariffs, but complete supporting materials and verification are required.
Supply chain traceability is critical, especially for bulk commodities such as steel and aluminum, which must be traced back to the production facility.
More standardized processes and more complete data lead to lower compliance costs and fewer inspection risks.
CBAM has entered a normalized stage of strong supervision, strict inspection, and actual tax collection from the transition period. Only by establishing standardized carbon data management, improving the MRV system, and completing supply chain traceability in advance can enterprises stably enter the EU market and maintain long-term competitiveness.

SKYCO2 is deeply engaged in the EU CBAM compliance field. Relying on professional policy interpretation capabilities, rich industry service experience, and digital technology support, it provides global export enterprises with full-process customized services such as CBAM policy interpretation, measured calculation, traceability construction, and MRV improvement, helping enterprises accurately control carbon costs, avoid compliance risks, successfully break through EU carbon tariff barriers, and achieve a win-win situation between compliant export and green transformation.