CBAM supplier data · CN 72–73
UK CBAM for iron & steel importers
From 1 January 2027, UK CBAM puts a price on the carbon embedded in imported steel coil, bar, sections and tubes. According to HMRC's CBAM policy summary, importers can report the actual embedded emissions of those goods or use government default values. Default values are not specific to your supplier's plant. The real figure comes from that plant.
Where the carbon in steel coil, bar, sections and tubes comes from
Two routes dominate. A blast furnace turns iron ore and coke into pig iron, which a basic oxygen furnace makes into steel: very high emissions. An electric arc furnace melts scrap or direct reduced iron: much lower, depending on the power source. EU CBAM counts direct emissions for steel; check the UK rules.
Inputs whose data you need, by carbon impact
These are the goods, precursors and inputs that carry emissions into steel coil, bar, sections and tubes under CBAM. Impact bands are qualitative and vary by plant, production route and power source.
Pig iron / hot metal
Very high impactThe blast furnace's output and the largest single source in integrated steelmaking.
Data to request: Hot-metal production, fuel and reductant rates, and embedded emissions per tonne.
Crude steel (oxygen furnace)
Very high impactBlast furnace route. Typically several times the emissions of scrap-based arc furnace steel.
Data to request: Route, output, and the pig iron and scrap shares.
Coking & injection coal
High impactMakes coke and is injected into the blast furnace. Its carbon ends up as CO₂ at the works.
Data to request: Coal consumption and carbon content.
Natural gas
High impactFuels reheating furnaces and reduces ore in gas-based DRI plants.
Data to request: Volumes by use.
Coke
High impactMade from coking coal in coke ovens, usually at the steelworks. Check how bought-in coke is treated under the current rules.
Data to request: Coke production or purchases, and coke-oven fuel use.
DRI / HBI
High impactIron reduced without melting. Gas-based routes are high; coal-based routes are very high.
Data to request: Embedded emissions per tonne and the reductant used.
Ferro-alloys
High impactSmelted in electric furnaces, often on coal power. Small tonnage, high intensity.
Data to request: Embedded emissions per tonne of each alloy.
Steel products
High impactThe imported CBAM goods: coil, bar, sections, tubes and some fabricated articles. Emissions depend mostly on the steelmaking route.
Data to request: Embedded emissions per tonne by product, with the route and scrap share.
Electricity
Varies with power sourceDominant for arc furnaces and rolling mills. Low on clean power, high on a coal-heavy grid.
Data to request: Electricity per tonne and its source.
Limestone & dolomite
Medium impactReleases process CO₂ when it calcines in sintering and the blast furnace.
Data to request: Quantities and composition.
Sinter & pellets
Medium impactAgglomerated iron ore is a CBAM precursor. Sintering burns fuel and calcines flux.
Data to request: Embedded emissions per tonne if bought in; plant data if made on site.
Crude steel (arc furnace)
Medium impactScrap or DRI melted with electricity. Low with high scrap and clean power; higher with DRI or a coal-heavy grid.
Data to request: Route, output, metallic inputs (scrap, DRI, pig iron) and electricity source.
Not counted, or counted as zero, under CBAM: iron ore, steel scrap, oxygen & industrial gases. You do not need their emissions data for the CBAM return, though quantities can explain a product's figure.
Suppliers to contact, and what to ask
The plant that made the goods holds most of the data. Some inputs come from other companies you may need to reach through it.
| Supplier type | What they supply | What to ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Iron ore miners & pellet plants | Supply ore, sinter feed and pellets. | Pellets: embedded emissions per tonne. Raw ore: not needed for CBAM. |
| Metallurgical coal miners | Supply coking coal and coal for injection into the blast furnace. | Coal specifications: carbon content and calorific value. |
| Natural gas suppliers | Supply fuel for furnaces and reductant for DRI. | Gas volumes and composition. |
| Lime & dolomite quarries | Supply flux for sintering and the blast furnace. | Quantities and composition. |
| Scrap merchants & recyclers | Supply steel scrap, the main feed for arc furnaces. | Tonnage and grade. Scrap carries zero embedded emissions under CBAM. |
| Power utility / captive plant | Grid supplier, or the works' own power station. | Electricity source; essential for arc-furnace steel. |
| Industrial gas companies | Supply oxygen, nitrogen and argon. | Quantities only. |
| DRI / HBI producers | Make direct reduced iron with gas or coal. | Embedded emissions per tonne, and whether gas- or coal-based. |
| Ferro-alloy smelters | Supply ferromanganese, ferrochrome, ferronickel and others. | Embedded emissions per tonne of each alloy. |
What to do before 1 January 2027
- 1. Map. List your imported steel coil, bar, sections and tubes by supplier and tonnage, and find the plant behind each supplier, not just the trader.
- 2. Request. Ask the 9 supplier types above for the data listed, starting with the suppliers covering most of your tonnage. Accept the EU CBAM template if they already use it.
- 3. Check. Compare each figure with the production route and the default value for that product and country, and send outliers back with a specific question.
- 4. Report. Keep the evidence behind every figure. HMRC says the first UK CBAM return and payment, for 2027, are due by 31 May 2028.
CarbonMeter's CBAM readiness pilots do this with you: we map your imports to the plants that made them, request and check the data, and report embedded emissions per supplier and product with the evidence behind each number.
Questions
Which iron & steel goods does UK CBAM cover?
UK CBAM applies from 1 January 2027 to imported steel coil, bar, sections and tubes, commodity codes under CN 72–73, according to HMRC's CBAM policy summary. The importer is liable once its CBAM goods pass a £50,000 threshold, and can report the actual embedded emissions of the goods or government default values.
Where does the carbon in steel coil, bar, sections and tubes come from?
Two routes dominate. A blast furnace turns iron ore and coke into pig iron, which a basic oxygen furnace makes into steel: very high emissions. An electric arc furnace melts scrap or direct reduced iron: much lower, depending on the power source. EU CBAM counts direct emissions for steel; check the UK rules.
What should a UK importer ask a iron & steel supplier for?
The data that the plant which made the goods holds: for pig iron / hot metal, hot-metal production, fuel and reductant rates, and embedded emissions per tonne.; for crude steel (oxygen furnace), route, output, and the pig iron and scrap shares.; for coking & injection coal, coal consumption and carbon content.; for natural gas, volumes by use.. Many producers already report this to EU customers in the European Commission's CBAM template.