First CBAM certificate price on 7 April 2026: what importers should prepare now

First CBAM certificate price on 7 April 2026: what importers should prepare now

The European Commission announced a new CBAM implementation milestone: the first quarterly CBAM certificate price will be published on 7 April 2026. For companies importing CBAM goods, this is a key operational signal rather than a routine update.

Certificate purchase obligations begin in February 2027 to cover 2026 imports. That makes the 2026 publication cycle highly relevant for budgeting, scenario planning, and internal process readiness.

How CBAM certificate pricing works in 2026

During 2026, CBAM certificate prices are calculated quarterly. The method is based on the quarterly average of EU ETS auction clearing prices.

From 2027 onward, pricing shifts to a weekly calculation cycle by the Commission.

For finance and procurement teams, this means 2026 should be used to model cost sensitivity and test decision workflows before purchase obligations become fully operational.

2026 publication schedule

The Commission indicated the following publication dates:

• 7 April 2026 for Q1
• 6 July 2026 for Q2
• 5 October 2026 for Q3
• 4 January 2027 for Q4

Prices are published both on the Commission's CBAM web page and in the CBAM Registry.

What importers should do now

First, align import data and carbon-pricing assumptions into one planning view. The priority is to understand margin impact by product and supplier profile.

Second, define ownership across finance, customs, procurement, and compliance so reporting logic stays consistent when obligations accelerate.

Third, reduce manual work early. A weekly pricing cadence in 2027 can create operational strain if data and evidence workflows are not standardized in advance.

Additional implementation signal: platform tender

The Commission also noted an open call for tenders for the Common Central Platform, which will manage the sale and repurchase of CBAM certificates. The submission deadline was 20 March 2026 at 12:00:59 CET.

This confirms that CBAM infrastructure is moving from design toward operational execution.

Practical takeaway

The first CBAM certificate price publication on 7 April 2026 is a planning checkpoint. Companies that use 2026 to harden data quality, ownership, and automation will be in a stronger position once purchase obligations start in 2027.