What is the CBAM default value for Indian pig iron and sponge iron?
Indian pig iron under CN 7201 carries 2.530 t CO2e per tonne and direct reduced iron, sponge iron, under CN 7203 carries 4.200. Agglomerated iron ore, pellets and sinter, carries 0.340 including indirect emissions. Steel takes direct emissions only.
India default values, t CO2e per tonne
- CN 2601 12 00 agglomerated iron ore (pellets, sinter): 0.290 direct, 0.050 indirect, 0.340 total
- CN 7201 pig iron: 2.530
- CN 7203 direct reduced iron (sponge iron): 4.200
- CN 7205 granules and powders: 2.540
Sponge iron against pig iron
The India default for sponge iron is 4.200, well above pig iron at 2.530. A DRI plant with good coal, gas and electricity records may be able to show a lower actual value, and should check before letting buyers use the default.
Where it shows up
Most sponge iron is not exported to the EU directly. It becomes a precursor in billets, bars and wire, so the steelmaker's EU buyer will ask the steelmaker, and the steelmaker will ask you.
What Senseible does here
Senseible reads coal, coke, gas, electricity and freight invoices into a dated, fingerprinted record per site, so an actual figure you send an EU buyer can be traced back to the documents behind it. It does not file CBAM declarations.
Sources: European Commission, Default values definitive period (Excel, version 2 of 6 August 2026), India sheet; legally binding values in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1740 correcting (EU) 2025/2621, European Commission, Guidance No. 3, CBAM methods for the calculation of emissions embedded in goods (14 August 2026), section 4.10
Last reviewed 2026-10-23.