The European Union imported €111.23 billion of merchandise covered by the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) in 2025, including an estimated €94.74 billion from non-exempt origins. An extraction of EU merchandise-trade data compiled in October 2026 shows the value of trade at the EU border, not the sum of CBAM certificates payable.
About €16.5 billion of imports came from origins exempt under the regulation. The trade totals are not a register of liable importers or verified emissions.
Iron and steel products classified under the relevant Chapter 72 and 73 customs codes accounted for €60.95 billion, while aluminium imports were valued at €30.34 billion.
Electricity imports came to €8.43 billion and fertilisers to €8.33 billion. Other covered imports included €2.10 billion of agglomerated iron ore and €1.08 billion of cement and clinker. Hydrogen remained marginal in merchandise statistics.
China was the largest external supplier to the EU, with imports valued at €17.09 billion. Türkiye ranked second, at €10.83 billion, and Britain was third, at €7.28 billion.
CBAM liability depends on emissions data
CBAM entered its definitive period on 1 January 2026. Eligible imports now carry financial and reporting obligations based on their embedded emissions, with adjustments for the EU free-allocation phase-out and any qualifying carbon price already paid abroad.
The CBAM certificate price for 2026 is published quarterly and reached €82.32 per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent in the third quarter. It is not a flat tax on a product’s customs value.
To assess actual liability, businesses need to connect the eight-digit customs code, country of origin, producing installation, quantity, emissions methodology, importer and contractual buyer. That information can help companies assess supplier competitiveness and consider whether carbon evidence, alternative materials or changes to purchase contracts could improve margins.
Customs statistics do not reveal the full route metal takes through representatives, warehouses, service centres, rolling or extrusion plants and component suppliers before reaching vehicle, construction or machinery manufacturers. Imports declared in one EU member state may be resold elsewhere in the single market.
The scale of the trade shows European industry’s dependence on foreign metals and materials. CBAM therefore involves a supply-chain information challenge as well as border pricing.