CBAM Certificate Price Hits €82.32 for Q3 2026: What It Means for Your Per-Tonne Import Cost
CBAM Certificate Price Hits €82.32 for Q3 2026: What It Means for Your Per-Tonne Import Cost
On 5 October 2026 the European Commission published the CBAM certificate price for the third quarter: €82.32 per certificate. That is a 9.4% jump from Q2 (€75.28), and well above Q1 (€75.36), according to VAT Update's summary of the announcement.
If you import cement, iron and steel, aluminium, fertilisers, electricity or hydrogen, this number is the multiplier for your Q3 exposure. Here is how to use it.
Where the number comes from
The quarterly price is the weighted average of the auction clearing prices of EU ETS allowances. It is a lagging market benchmark, not a forecast. That is why it moves with the carbon market rather than with anything a supplier or customs broker does.
From certificate price to cost per tonne
The benchmark only becomes a cost once you apply your emissions data. As a simple frame:
- Embedded emissions (tCO2e per tonne of product): from verified supplier data, or from default values if actual data is unavailable.
- Times the certificate price: €82.32 for Q3 imports.
- Less applicable adjustments: such as the free-allocation adjustment and any carbon price already paid in the country of origin.
Illustration only: a product with 2.0 tCO2e per tonne of embedded emissions, before adjustments, gives a gross figure of roughly €165 per tonne at €82.32. Your real figure will be lower or higher depending on adjustments and on whether you use actual or default data.
Three things to do this quarter
- Reconcile Q3 import volumes with emissions data. The price applies to emissions in goods imported during the quarter, so line up quantities, CN codes and supplier data now rather than at declaration time.
- Update your budget assumption. If you modelled around the Q1 or Q2 price of about €75, your Q3 line is roughly 9% light.
- Plan for the next prices. The Q4 2026 price is due on 4 January 2027, and from 2027 the Commission moves to weekly pricing, with certificate purchases through a central platform starting in February 2027.
The takeaway
A single quarterly price is easy to budget around. The more important lesson from this release is that the benchmark moves, and your exposure scales with every tonne and every tCO2e. Put the €82.32 into your cost model today, and keep the inputs (volumes, emissions data, adjustments) clean enough to re-run when the price changes again.
Source: Q3 2026 price and schedule as reported by VAT Update; see also the Commission's price of CBAM certificates page.
Related reading
Who Can Actually Accredit Your Supplier's Verifier? Reading the Commission's CBAM Accreditation State-of-Play
The Commission's 25 September accreditation update shows 24 national bodies on board, 15 ready and only 5 taking third-country applications. What that means for suppliers outside the EU and the importers who depend on them.
Norway and Iceland Are Joining CBAM: What the EEA Joint Committee Decisions Change for Importers
On 25 September 2026 the EEA Joint Committee adopted two decisions bringing CBAM to Norway and Iceland. Adoption is not entry into force, though. Here is what is decided, what is pending, and what to watch.
The EU-India Trade Deal Didn't Buy India a CBAM Exemption: What Steel and Aluminium Importers Should Plan For
The EU-India trade agreement cuts tariffs on most goods, but it leaves CBAM untouched. Here is what that means for importers of Indian steel and aluminium, and what to do before the 2026 declaration.