The EU Commission is finalizing the development of CBAM criteria, default values, ahead of the launch in January 2026.
These measures establish the rules for the practical application of the CBAM regulations from January 2026.
It is important to note that as of December 10, the CBAM steel base values and default values have not yet been published in the Official Journal of the EU.
Earlier this week, market sources distributed draft applications and technical implementation acts outlining these criteria and default values.
The CBAM Committee of the European Commission voted today to adopt the final amendments to these documents, the sources said.
Sources familiar with the situation told Fastmarkets that these criteria and default values are considered technically final and will become legally binding on January 1, 2026.
"The voting on criteria and default values was positive. Thus, all the data has been confirmed," a source familiar with the situation said.
The Commission is expected to publish the final, legally binding results by December 25, Fastmarkets reported.
Benchmarks
The Commission used the same approach as in the case of the leaked drafts that were seen by Fastmarkets in November.
Benchmarks for different types of metal products vary depending on the production method — blast furnace-oxygen furnace (BF/BOF), direct reduction furnace of cast iron/electric arc furnace (DRI/EAF) and chipboard based on scrap. It is important to note that benchmarks also vary depending on whether actual emission data or default emission values are used.
Thus, for each product, the benchmark is expressed in tons of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e) per ton of steel produced, with different values used for different production processes. For example, for flat rolled products and semi-finished products, there are different criteria for melting, DRI/EAF, and waste recycling processes, reflecting the different carbon footprint of each process. If actual emission data is available and verified, it can be used to determine specific embedded emissions for a given import. Otherwise, default values are applied, which are often set at the top of the range.
It is important to note that the final figures are lower than those presented by Fastmarkets in November. For example, in the November leaks, the base values of 1,530 tCO2e per ton of steel for production were indicated in the rough versions of a hot-rolled steel roll.