US EAF-dominant steel production carries low default values — many US exporters may face near-zero certificate liability.
US steel exports to the EU include flat-rolled products, seamless pipes, and speciality alloy steels. The USA's steel default (1.39 tCO₂e/t semi-finished, BF-BOF) is among the lowest globally — reflecting the US industry's predominantly EAF-scrap-based production mix. Primary and secondary aluminium products are exported to EU markets for aerospace and automotive applications.
Carbon pricing in USA: The USA has no federal carbon pricing scheme. State-level cap-and-trade systems (California, RGGI) do not cover industrial CBAM-relevant production at a scale or price that would qualify for Article 9.
Without a federal carbon price applicable to CBAM-covered goods, no Article 9 deduction is available for US exporters. State schemes do not meet Article 9 criteria. US exporters pay the full CBAM certificate cost on embedded emissions above the SEFA benchmark.
US EAF steel (actual embedded emissions typically 0.3–0.6 tCO₂e/t) is well below the SEFA benchmark of 1.362 tCO₂e/t — most US steel exports will owe zero CBAM certificates if actual data is verified. This makes verification particularly high-value: the cost of a verifier engagement is far less than paying default-based certificates on clean production.
Verify Your Actual Emissions →Estimate your 2026–2034 CBAM certificate costs using your sector, volume, and production route.
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Request Assessment →Default values sourced from IR 2025/2621 (EU Commission). Net costs are illustrative — actual liability depends on verified embedded emissions, SEFA benchmark deduction, and the applicable CBAM phase-in factor. Not legal or compliance advice.