CBAM for Indian exporters: make your EU buyer pay on your real number

Since 1 January 2026 EU importers pay CBAM on the embedded emissions of the steel, aluminium, cement and fertilisers they buy from India. Without verified plant data they pay on the EU default value for India, raised by 10% in 2026, 20% in 2027 and 30% from 2028. Senseible measures your actual figure at the source, builds the file a verifier checks, and gets it to your buyer.

Key dates

• 1 Jan 2026: Definitive period starts. Importers bringing in more than 50 tonnes a year need authorised declarant status.
• Feb 2027: Certificates go on sale. Goods imported in 2026 are priced at the 2026 quarterly price.
• 30 Sep 2027: First annual declaration, for everything imported in 2026.
• 2028: Default values carry a 30% mark-up from here on.
• 2034: Free allocation reaches zero. Every tonne is paid for.

Measured at the source

• Bills and invoices: Fuel, power and purchased precursors, read line by line and checked for anomalies.
• Smart sub-meters: Electricity per furnace, mill or line, not just the plant total.
• Flow sensors: Gas, oil and LPG burnt by each process.
• Heat and steam meters: Steam and heat moving between processes.
• IoT loggers and gateways: Readings from older equipment that has no network of its own.
• SCADA: Production counts and process data straight from the control system.
• ERP: Tonnes produced and dispatched per product code.

What a verifier checks

• A written monitoring plan
• Installation boundaries
• Production processes, one per product group
• Data flows and control activities
• Measuring equipment and calibration
• Sampling plan
• Uncertainty assessment
• Embedded emissions per tonne, per CN code

Straight answers

Does CBAM apply to an Indian exporter?

The EU importer files the declaration and buys the certificates. But the number they pay on is your plant's embedded emissions per tonne. If you cannot give a verified figure, they pay on the EU default value for India plus a mark-up, and that cost comes back to you in price talks.

Which Indian goods are covered?

Iron and steel, aluminium, cement, fertilisers, hydrogen and electricity, by CN code. That includes many downstream steel goods such as wire, pipes, fasteners and structures, and aluminium bars, profiles and wire.

What happens if we send no data?

Your buyer uses the Commission's default value for India, raised by 10% in 2026, 20% in 2027 and 30% from 2028. For hot-rolled steel that default is 4.28 t CO2e per tonne, well above most plants' actual figure.

When is the first deadline?

The first annual declaration, covering 2026 imports, is due by 30 September 2027. Certificates go on sale in February 2027. Your buyer will ask for your data well before that.

Will the EU accept data from Senseible?

Actual emissions in a declaration must be verified by an accredited CBAM verifier. Senseible builds the monitoring plan, the data trail and the report they check, verified by our in-house verifier or by an external verifier you choose.

Do indirect emissions count?

For cement and fertilisers, yes. For iron, steel and aluminium only direct emissions are charged, though you still record electricity.

Start your CBAM data in the CBAM suite, estimate your cost with the CBAM calculator, or see CBAM cost by sector.