Answer box
For aluminium goods under CBAM, only direct emissions count. Electricity used to run smelters, rolling mills and extrusion presses is not added — the regulation treats the main EU-ETS electricity price pass-through as covering indirect emissions already. The data points your supplier needs to share: fuels used on-site, process emissions (including PFC from anode effects at primary smelters), production tonnes per CN code, and the origin and emissions of any unwrought aluminium (CN 7601) they buy in.
Product families we cover
- Unwrought aluminium (CN 7601) — alloyed and unalloyed, the primary precursor for everything downstream.
- Bars, rods and profiles (CN 7604) — direct extrusion from billet.
- Wire (CN 7605).
- Plates, sheets and strip (CN 7606).
- Foil (CN 7607).
- Tubes and pipes (CN 7608).
- Other articles of aluminium (CN 7616) — fasteners, mesh, finished parts.
What to ask your supplier
- Fuel bills for 12 months by fuel type (natural gas, diesel, LPG).
- Process emissions: specifically the PFC emissions from anode effects at the smelter, where applicable.
- Production tonnes by CN code.
- Unwrought aluminium procurement: smelter name, country, primary vs recycled share, and any verified emissions data.
- Scrap route: clean vs dirty scrap, which affects the mass balance.
Scrap and the mass balance
When a supplier mixes primary and recycled aluminium, the engine prompts them to split the mass flow. Recycled share typically carries lower embedded emissions because it skips the energy-intensive smelting step.
PFC emissions at primary smelters
Perfluorocarbon (PFC) emissions from anode effects at primary aluminium smelters are direct process emissions and must be reported. If your supplier doesn’t measure PFCs directly, the EU default values apply, with the yearly mark-up.
Common questions
- My supplier uses mostly recycled aluminium — does that help? Yes, the engine captures the mass-balance split so recycled share counts toward lower embedded emissions.
- Does the supplier need to report the smelter’s electricity? No, for aluminium under CBAM, electricity is not added. Only direct emissions and (where applicable) PFC process emissions count.
- What about aluminium alloys with iron or copper? Alloy inputs don’t change the sector classification — if the CN code is in the aluminium chapter, aluminium rules apply.