Manufacturer journey
Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism

Document your embedded carbon before CBAM costs you.

CBAM is in full enforcement for cement, steel, and aluminum. EU importers need your installation-specific embedded GHG data every quarter. Terrave generates verified CBAM documentation — from the same record as your EPD.

Covered sectors:CementSteelAluminumFertilizersHydrogen

What CBAM means for exporters

Full enforcement, now

CBAM's transitional phase ended January 2026. EU importers now pay carbon costs on covered goods. The cost is proportional to embedded GHG emissions per tonne — actual data, not estimates.

Defaults penalise efficient producers

Where producers don't supply actual embedded carbon data, importers use conservative default values. For cement, the default is ~0.959 kgCO₂e/kg — significantly above most modern producers. Actual data saves money.

Quarterly filing cadence

EU importers must file CBAM declarations quarterly. Each declaration requires embedded carbon data from the third-country producer. Outdated or missing documentation blocks shipments.

Linked to EU CPR and EPD

CBAM carbon documentation and EPD production can share the same underlying facility data. One verification exercise. Two regulatory obligations satisfied.

Built for CBAM

Actual emissions data. Importer-ready.

01

All six covered sectors.

CBAM covers cement, iron and steel, aluminum, fertilizers, electricity, and hydrogen — each with specific CN codes and system boundaries. Terrave handles each sector's embedded carbon calculation correctly, using the CBAM methodology defined in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1773.

For manufacturers producing multiple covered commodities, all products feed into one CBAM documentation dashboard. One upload cycle per period.

Cement

CN 2523Clinker and all cement types

Full enforcement

Iron & Steel

CN 72, 73Pig iron, flat products, structural sections

Full enforcement

Aluminum

CN 76Unwrought, wrought, and semi-finished

Full enforcement

Fertilizers

CN 28, 31Nitrogen-based fertilizers and precursors

Full enforcement

Electricity

CN 2716Electricity imports

Full enforcement

Hydrogen

CN 2804 10Hydrogen and hydrogen-based products

Full enforcement
02

Installation-specific — not industry averages.

CBAM requires actual embedded GHG data from your specific installation — not sector averages or EPD benchmarks. Terrave calculates direct emissions (Scope 1 from production) and indirect emissions (Scope 2 from electricity) at facility level, using your plant production and energy data.

The calculation uses CBAM-specific methodology from Implementing Regulation 2023/1773 — not general LCA methodology. The outputs are structured for CBAM Registry reporting, not just for EPD purposes.

Cement — actual vs default comparison

CBAM default value (cement)0.959 kgCO₂e/kg
Sector average (CEMBUREAU 2023)0.831 kgCO₂e/kg
Modern plant, 75% clinker0.780 kgCO₂e/kg
Type IL, 65% clinker0.662 kgCO₂e/kg

Using actual data vs CBAM defaults reduces CBAM liability by 18–31% for most producers.

03

Ready for your EU importer.

EU importers need structured embedded carbon data to file their quarterly CBAM declarations. Terrave generates the CBAM Embedded Emissions Report in the format your importer can submit directly to the EU CBAM Registry — no manual data extraction or formatting required.

Importers can reference your Terrave-generated documentation as the authoritative producer data source. When you update annually, your importer is automatically notified that new data is available.

01

Installation identification

CBAM registry ID, country of production, production site address

02

Production period

Calendar year covered by the calculation

03

Direct embedded emissions

Scope 1 — process emissions and fuel combustion per tonne

04

Indirect embedded emissions

Scope 2 — electricity consumption × grid emission factor per tonne

05

Total embedded GHG

kgCO₂e per tonne in CBAM required unit

06

Calculation methodology

Reference to EU Implementing Regulation 2023/1773

07

Evidence basis

Link to verified EPD as supporting documentation

04

One record. EPD and CBAM.

Your verified EPD and your CBAM documentation share the same underlying facility data — material composition, production volumes, energy inputs. Verify once. Satisfy both obligations. Annual refreshes update both documents from the same data source.

For manufacturers also selling into EU markets under the revised CPR, Terrave handles the EPD, the CBAM report, and the DoP from one platform. No three separate consultants. No three separate billing cycles.

One verified record — multiple outputs

EPD (EN 15804+A2)

EU market access, procurement documentation

same record

CBAM Report

EU importer quarterly declaration

same record

DoP

CE marking, CPR compliance

same record

Buy Clean pack

US/Canada public procurement

same record

Scope 3 response

Customer supply chain reporting

same record

Outputs

Everything your EU importer needs.

CBAM-compliant embedded carbon reports, linked to your verified EPD, updated annually.

CBAM embedded emissions report

Installation-specific embedded GHG per tonne, formatted for EU importer quarterly CBAM declaration.

Facility-level GHG documentation

Direct and indirect emissions per tonne from your specific production facility, linked to production data.

EU importer submission package

Structured data package ready for import declaration via the EU CBAM Registry — no manual formatting by your importer.

CBAM default value comparison

Shows how your actual emissions compare to sector default values — quantifies your cost advantage.

Linked verified EPD

CBAM report references the underlying EN 15804+A2 EPD as evidence basis — one record, two obligations.

Annual update report

Updated embedded carbon documentation each year aligned to the CBAM annual reporting cycle.

The process

From facility data to CBAM-ready documentation.

01

Upload facility and production data

Upload your installation-level data: production volumes per period, fuel and energy inputs, raw material quantities. Terrave maps these to the CBAM calculation framework — direct and indirect emissions at facility level.

02

Calculate and verify embedded carbon

Terrave calculates embedded GHG per tonne of covered goods per the CBAM Implementing Regulation. You review results and approve. A third-party verifier reviews alongside your EPD evidence — one verification for both obligations.

03

Generate importer-ready CBAM report

Terrave generates the CBAM Embedded Emissions Report in the structured format EU importers need for registry submission. Distribute to your EU importers before each quarterly filing period — no manual data extraction.

FAQ

CBAM questions, answered.

Which sectors does CBAM cover?

CBAM covers six sectors: cement, iron and steel, aluminum, fertilizers, electricity, and hydrogen. These were chosen because they represent the highest risk of carbon leakage from the EU Emissions Trading System. Downstream products from covered sectors (such as certain steel fabrications) are also within scope.

What carbon data does CBAM require?

CBAM requires installation-specific actual embedded GHG emissions data — not industry averages or default values. This means the GWP per tonne of product produced at your specific facility, calculated using the CBAM methodology (Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1773). Default values may be used only where actual data is unavailable, but they are set conservatively and typically result in higher cost.

What is the difference between CBAM and an EPD?

They are related but not identical. An EPD covers the product lifecycle (A1–A3 cradle-to-gate) per ISO 14025 / EN 15804 methodology. CBAM specifically requires embedded GHG emissions per tonne of imported goods, calculated per EU-specific methodology. Terrave uses your verified EPD as the evidence base and generates CBAM-specific documentation from it — so the two obligations are satisfied from one record rather than two separate exercises.

Can I use my EPD as CBAM evidence?

A verified EPD provides the strongest available evidence base for CBAM documentation. CBAM does not require an EPD in its own right, but an EPD produced under EN 15804+A2 with third-party verification satisfies the evidential standard for embedded GHG calculations better than unverified self-declarations. Terrave generates CBAM reports that reference the underlying EPD and are formatted for customs agent submission.

What happens if I use default CBAM values?

Default values represent a conservative (pessimistic) carbon intensity derived from the least efficient producers in each sector. For cement, the default is approximately 0.959 kgCO₂e/kg — significantly above what most modern producers actually emit. Using actual data (via Terrave) rather than defaults almost always results in lower CBAM liability for manufacturers with production emissions below the EU ETS benchmark.

What do I give my EU importer?

Terrave generates a CBAM Embedded Emissions Report — a structured document containing installation identification, production period, embedded GHG per tonne, calculation methodology, and a link to the underlying verified EPD. This is what your EU importer submits to their national authority via the EU CBAM Registry when filing their quarterly CBAM declaration.

How often does CBAM documentation need to be updated?

CBAM declarations are filed quarterly by EU importers. For each import, the importer must use the most recent embedded carbon data from the third-country producer. Terrave generates annual updates to your CBAM documentation as part of the EPD annual refresh cycle — so your importer always has current data before each filing period.

Does Terrave handle both direct and indirect emissions for CBAM?

Yes. CBAM requires reporting of both direct emissions (Scope 1 from the production process) and indirect emissions (Scope 2 from electricity consumption) at the installation level. Terrave handles both — using facility electricity consumption data and the appropriate grid emission factor for the country of production.

Ready to start

CBAM-ready documentation. Before the next shipment.

Actual embedded carbon data. EU importer-ready format. One verified record for both CBAM and your EPD.

$1,500

per product

Pay per product. Includes EPD and CBAM documentation. Right for 1–5 covered goods.

MOST POPULAR

$995/mo

unlimited products

Full portfolio coverage. EPD, CBAM, DoP, and Buy Clean from one subscription.

No credit card required. CBAM documentation included alongside EPD at all tiers.