# How does a long steel mill in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal give EU buyers a CBAM figure?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/newcastle-long-steel-exporter-cbam-figure

For a blast furnace route, add coke, coal and other carbon inputs by mass balance, plus fuels for rolling, and subtract carbon leaving in products and by-products. Divide by tonnes of bar, rod or sections. Grid electricity is not counted for steel goods.

## Mass balance

- Carbon in coke, coal, limestone and dolomite charged.
- Carbon leaving in steel, slag sold and exported gases.
- Natural gas or fuel in reheating furnaces.

## South African specifics

Load shedding diesel used for process heat counts as direct emissions. Carbon tax paid may be deductible from the CBAM cost if it meets the rules.

## Per tonne

Use the mill's own measured figure where possible; default values are usually higher.

## What Senseible does here

Senseible reads fuel, electricity and production documents into dated, fingerprinted installation records, the starting point for the actual emissions an EU importer asks for.

- [South African carbon tax and CBAM](https://senseible.earth/answers/south-africa-carbon-tax-cbam-deduction-steel)
- [Eskom grid factor](https://senseible.earth/answers/eskom-grid-factor-for-south-african-suppliers)
- [Tangshan coil CBAM figure](https://senseible.earth/answers/tangshan-steel-hot-rolled-coil-cbam-figure)

Sources: [CBAM Regulation (EU) 2023/956, consolidated](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/956/2025-10-20), [Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1773, monitoring rules](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2023/1773/oj/eng), [European Commission, CBAM legislation and guidance](https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/carbon-border-adjustment-mechanism/cbam-legislation-and-guidance_en)

Last reviewed 2026-10-22.