What are the UK CBAM default values for iron ore pellets and pig iron?
Iron ore pellets fall under agglomerated iron ore (2601 12 00), with a UK CBAM default of 0.494 tCO2e per tonne. Non-alloy pig iron ranges from 1.331 (7201 10 11) to 2.698 (7201 10 90) depending on manganese and silicon, and high-phosphorus pig iron (7201 20 00) is 1.920.
Non-alloy pig iron, phosphorus 0.5% or less
- 7201 10 11: manganese 0.4% or more, silicon 1% or less: 1.331 tCO2e per tonne.
- 7201 10 19: manganese 0.4% or more, silicon above 1%: 1.539.
- 7201 10 30: manganese 0.1% to under 0.4%: 2.445.
- 7201 10 90: manganese 0.1% or less: 2.698.
Other codes
- 7201 20 00: non-alloy pig iron, phosphorus 0.5% or more: 1.920.
- 7201 50 10: alloy pig iron with 0.3% to 1% titanium and 0.5% to 1% vanadium: 2.054.
- 7201 50 90: other alloy pig iron and spiegeleisen: 1.739.
- 2601 12 00: agglomerated iron ores and concentrates, excluding roasted iron pyrites: 0.494.
Manganese can double the default
The pig iron codes split on chemistry, not on route. The same blast furnace can ship iron at 1.331 or 2.698 depending on the manganese in the cast. Take the code from each lot's chemical analysis, not from a product name like foundry or basic grade.
Only agglomerated ore is listed
HMRC's iron and steel scope lists 2601 12 00 and nothing else from heading 2601, so lump ore and fines are not UK CBAM goods. Pellets and sinter are.
5,000 tonnes of foundry pig iron
- Lot analysis: phosphorus 0.1%, manganese 0.6%, silicon 2.2%, so 7201 10 19.
- 5,000 t x 1.539 = 7,695 tCO2e.
- If the manganese came in at 0.3%, the code is 7201 10 30: 5,000 t x 2.445 = 12,225 tCO2e.
- Same furnace, same tonnage: 4,530 tCO2e apart on chemistry alone.
What Senseible does here
Senseible reads coke, coal and pellet purchase invoices with cast-wise dispatch tonnes, so your pig iron figure can be compared with the default for each grade. We build the figure from your records and check every figure in-house; for the UK it must then be verified by a verifier accredited for UK CBAM. Have your own verifier? Send it to them.
Sources: HMRC, UK CBAM iron and steel default values (published 16 October 2026), HM Treasury and HMRC, UK CBAM policy summary
Last reviewed 2026-11-03.