What does CBAM cost?
There is no single price. What you pay depends on what you import, where it was made and how cleanly, so the only honest answer is to work it out per shipment.
Have your own figure worked outHow a CBAM bill is built up
At its simplest: the emissions embedded in what you imported, multiplied by the price of a CBAM certificate, less what you are allowed to deduct. Each of those three parts moves independently, which is why an estimate made once a year is worth very little.
Embedded emissions
How much CO₂ went into making the goods. Either the producer's own verified figures, or the EU default values that apply when you do not have them. The gap between the two is often the largest single lever you have.
The certificate price
Set by the European Commission and published quarterly. For the second quarter of 2026 it was just over € 75 per tonne of CO₂. Because it is republished every quarter, the same shipment costs a different amount depending on when it lands.
What you can deduct
A carbon price already paid in the country of origin comes off, if you can evidence it. Free allocation under the EU emissions trading system is also still being phased out, which reduces the number of certificates you have to surrender.
Certificate prices are published quarterly and change, so treat any figure on this page as an illustration rather than a quote. We track each publication in our news section.
Know the figure before you order, not after
CBAM turns the carbon intensity of a supplier into a line on your cost price. That only helps you if you can see it while you can still choose.
Compare suppliers
The same product from two countries can carry very different embedded emissions, and therefore a different landed cost.
Test future prices
Run the same import at a higher certificate price to see how exposed next year's margin is.
Price your quotes
If you pass CBAM on to your customers, you need the number before you send the quote, not at the end of the quarter.
And what does the software cost?
CBAM Desk starts at € 145 per month, with unlimited users and the full regulatory data set included. In a demo we put your own shipments through the CBAM calculator, so you see the figures before you decide anything.
If you would rather not run the administration at all, our consultants at Hulsman & Partners will take it over completely and file on your behalf.
Put your own shipment through it
In a demo we enter one real import and show you the figure and where every part of it comes from.
Request a demo