# How often must we send coal, gas or limestone to a lab for EU CBAM?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/cbam-eu-fuel-analysis-frequency-table

The Methodology Act sets minimum analysis frequencies: natural gas at least weekly, coal and petcoke every 20,000 tonnes and at least six times a year, other fuels every 10,000 tonnes and at least four times a year, carbonate minerals every 50,000 tonnes and at least four times a year.

## Minimum frequency of analyses

- Natural gas: at least weekly.
- Other gases such as process gases: at least daily, using appropriate procedures at different parts of the day.
- Fuel oils: every 20,000 tonnes and at least six times a year.
- Coal, coking coal, coke, petroleum coke and peat: every 20,000 tonnes and at least six times a year.
- Other fuels: every 10,000 tonnes and at least four times a year.
- Untreated solid waste: every 5,000 tonnes and at least four times a year.
- Liquid waste and pre-treated solid waste: every 10,000 tonnes and at least four times a year.
- Carbonate minerals including limestone and dolomite: every 50,000 tonnes and at least four times a year.

## Analysis is not sampling

The table is about lab analyses. Samples or increments taken from each delivery are a separate matter, and far more than four are usually needed over a year to get a representative result.

## When you may analyse less often

- The minimum would cost an unreasonable amount.
- The fuel is homogeneous, shown by data from recent reporting periods: any variation in its analytical values stays within one third of the uncertainty you apply to the activity data.
- If the table has no entry, analyse as often as keeps you at that one third level over the year.

## Part-year plants and batch deliveries

Where a plant runs for part of the year, or a delivery is burnt across two reporting periods, you may choose a more suitable schedule if it gives a comparable uncertainty.

## A coal-fired plant (round numbers)

- Coal burnt in a year: 500,000 tonnes.
- Minimum: one analysis every 20,000 tonnes.
- 500,000 divided by 20,000 = 25 analyses in the year, which is more than the floor of six.

## What Senseible does here

Senseible reads your fuel, power and steam bills into verified emission records, so the monthly figures a monitoring plan needs are ready to hand to your verifier. Verified here means rule checks passed against the evidence. It is not third-party assurance, and a CBAM verifier still signs the report.

- [Documents to give your verifier](https://senseible.earth/answers/cbam-documents-to-give-your-verifier)
- [Monitoring plan minimum elements](https://senseible.earth/answers/cbam-monitoring-plan-minimum-elements-list)
- [CBAM Suite](https://senseible.earth/cbam-suite)

Sources: [European Commission, CBAM Guidance No. 3, calculation of embedded emissions](https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/document/download/29b9eec7-1a4b-4eb6-ab85-96a0c9e35fd0_en?filename=Guidance%20No.%203%20-%20CBAM%20methods%20for%20the%20calculation%20of%20emissions%20embedded%20in%20goods.pdf)

Last reviewed 2026-11-04.