CBAM: the first certificate price will be published on 7 April 2026
The implementation of the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) marks another step towards full operational deployment: the European Commission will publish the first CBAM certificate price on 7 April 2026.
For 2026, the price of CBAM certificates will be calculated on a quarterly basis, as the average of the auction clearing prices of allowances within the EU ETS system.
Starting from 2027, the mechanism will become more dynamic: the Commission will calculate a weekly price for CBAM certificates, also based on developments in the EU ETS market, thereby ensuring continuous alignment with the carbon price applied to European producers.
Publication schedule for 2026
- 7 April 2026 – price relating to the 1st quarter of 2026
- 6 July 2026 – price relating to the 2nd quarter of 2026
- 5 October 2026 – price relating to the 3rd quarter of 2026
- 4 January 2027 – price relating to the 4th quarter of 2026
The prices will be published both on the European Commission’s CBAM webpage and in the CBAM Registry, in order to ensure transparency and accessibility for economic operators.
It is important to recall that importers will be required to purchase CBAM certificates starting from February 2027 to cover the embedded emissions of goods imported in 2026.