India’s CBAM default value for steel from the BF-BOF route is 4.32 tCO₂ per tonne — producing a CBAM certificate obligation of approximately €211 per tonne of steel at €65/tCO₂. A verified actual GEI of 2.0 tCO₂/t reduces that obligation to approximately €32 per tonne — a 85% reduction in CBAM cost. For 100,000 tonnes of EU-exported steel, the difference between using India’s default value and filing verified actual data is approximately Rs 1,612 crore per year in CBAM certificate costs. The first annual CBAM declaration covering 2026 imports is due September 30, 2027. CBAM certificate purchases begin February 2027. The quarterly minimum certificate holding requirement is 50% of embedded emissions to date. EU customs processed over 1.65 million tonnes of CBAM-covered goods in the first week of January 2026 — iron and steel accounted for 98% of that. Every Indian steel plant exporting to the EU has been generating CBAM-relevant embedded emissions since January 1, 2026. The clock is running. This article builds the complete CBAM compliance operations framework for Indian steel exporters — what the Indian plant must measure and document, what the EU-authorised declarant needs, what the verification process looks like, and the rupee cost of every compliance shortcut.
