Steel World Review reports that the European Commission has published a CBAM certificate price of €82.32 per tonne of CO₂ for the third quarter of 2026. The figure is 9.4% above the €75.28 price for Q2 and applies to covered goods imported between July 1 and September 30, 2026.
CBAM certificate prices are linked to the weighted average auction price of EU Emissions Trading System allowances. Prices are being calculated quarterly during 2026 and will move to weekly publication from 2027.
The increase does not mean that every imported steel product becomes 9.4% more expensive. The actual liability depends on embedded emissions, the production route, verified plant data, any eligible carbon price paid in the country of origin and the number of certificates ultimately required.
For steel exporters outside the European Union, particularly direct reduced iron (DRI) and electric arc furnace (EAF) producers in the Middle East, this development further underscores the importance of maintaining reliable data on electricity and gas consumption, raw materials, and direct and indirect emissions. A genuinely low emissions intensity can only translate into a commercial advantage when the data are calculated and verified in accordance with the EU methodology.
In other words, the latest CBAM figure enables European buyers to account more precisely for differences in carbon costs among suppliers when making purchasing decisions. As a result, the quality of emissions data, alongside the base price of steel, transportation costs, and delivery terms, is becoming a key factor in commercial negotiations. This increase may strengthen the competitive advantage of low-carbon suppliers; however, without plant-specific emissions intensity data, its impact on a particular shipment or country cannot be determined.
