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eBriefing EUALU · Preview
EU Aluminium Import Needs
External Supply, Supplier Competitiveness, Import Prices and CBAM Exposure
A data-driven eBriefing on the European Union's aluminium import needs and external supply, analysing major supplier countries, import prices, sourcing competitiveness, CBAM verification and the product-specific requirements that shape access to the EU market.
Release date
23 September 2026
Last updated
2 October 2026
eBriefing EUALU · European Aluminium Supply Intelligence
Preview of the 12-month Data-as-a-Service eBriefing
Preview of the 12-month Data-as-a-Service eBriefing
What the Full eBriefing helps you assess
EUALU connects EU demand and supplier competitiveness with the practical steps needed to supply the European market. Paying the CBAM charge alone is not sufficient: applicable customs, chemical, product-safety and sector-specific requirements must also be met.
- Carbon exposure: distinguish the gross carbon-value reference from the actual CBAM liability, and compare official defaults with verified installation data.
- Verification: understand why self-certification does not replace accredited verification of actual emissions; find Commission resources and the Indian NABCB contact, while distinguishing national accreditation from EU CBAM accreditation.
- Requirements by product and use: an initial screening matrix covering unwrought and semi-finished aluminium, construction components, food-contact articles, packaging, technical components and scrap.
- Exporter readiness: a proposed survey framework to identify data and documentation gaps and produce aggregated statistics that distinguish reported from verified information.
- Scrap and recycling: shipment controls, end-of-waste criteria, trade quantities and values, and the changing conditions for EU scrap exports.
Executive Summary
Aluminium is a strategically important input for European industry, including automotive manufacturing, aerospace, construction, electrical equipment, renewable energy technologies, packaging and defence-related supply chains.
The European Union remains strongly dependent on external aluminium supplies. In 2024, the EU imported approximately €29.5 billion of aluminium and related articles under HS Chapter 76. Norway was the largest external supplier in value terms, followed by China, Türkiye, Iceland and Switzerland.
From 1 January 2026, the definitive phase of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) introduced an additional carbon-related dimension into aluminium sourcing decisions.
Import competitiveness therefore increasingly depends not only on the commercial price of aluminium, but also on the origin of the product, the production route, verified embedded emissions, applicable default values, the EU ETS-linked CBAM certificate price, and any eligible carbon price already effectively paid in the country of production.
1. EU Aluminium Demand and Import Dependence
Eurostat reported that EU imports of aluminium and related articles reached €29.5 billion in 2024, compared with €18.4 billion of exports, producing an EU trade deficit of approximately €11.1 billion.
€29.5 bn
EU aluminium imports, 2024 · HS 76
€18.4 bn
EU aluminium exports, 2024 · HS 76
€11.1 bn
EU aluminium trade deficit, 2024
15.0%
Norway's share of EU import value
Leading EU aluminium suppliers by import value — 2024
| Supplier | EU import value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Norway | €4.4 bn | 15.0% |
| China | €3.9 bn | 13.1% |
| Türkiye | €2.8 bn | 9.4% |
| Iceland | €2.1 bn | 7.3% |
| Switzerland | €1.7 bn | 5.8% |
Source: Eurostat. These figures cover HS Chapter 76 — aluminium and articles thereof — and must not be interpreted as CN 7601 prices or volumes.
2. Unwrought Aluminium (CN 7601): The Core Import Benchmark
EUALU uses CN 7601 — unwrought aluminium as its principal benchmark product because it provides a much more meaningful basis for comparing major primary and secondary aluminium suppliers than the entire HS Chapter 76.
Finished and semi-finished products such as plates, sheets, foil, profiles and tubes should be analysed separately because their customs values and CBAM default values differ materially.
3. Comparing EU Aluminium Import Prices
Average import unit value =
customs import value (CIF) ÷ net imported mass
The resulting figure is expressed in €/tonne. It is an average customs unit value, not an LME quotation and not necessarily the contractual price paid by an individual buyer.
Eurostat international trade statistics report imports on a CIF basis — cost, insurance and freight to the EU border.
4. How CBAM Changes EU Aluminium Sourcing
The definitive CBAM regime has applied since 1 January 2026. EU importers covered by the mechanism must declare embedded emissions associated with CBAM goods and surrender the corresponding number of CBAM certificates in accordance with the applicable rules.
The price of CBAM certificates is linked to the EU ETS allowance price. For 2026, the European Commission publishes one price for each calendar quarter.
5. The Carbon Price Component: 2026 CBAM Certificate Prices
| Quarter | CBAM certificate price | Publication |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 2026 | €75.36/tCO₂e | 7 April 2026 |
| Q2 2026 | €75.28/tCO₂e | 6 July 2026 |
| Q3 2026 | Pending | 5 October 2026 |
| Q4 2026 | Pending | 4 January 2027 |
Continue with the Full eBriefing
Access the complete EUALU analysis of European aluminium import needs, external suppliers, import-price competitiveness, CN 7601, CBAM exposure, verified emissions and the changing competitive position of major supply countries. The updated analysis also covers accredited verification, practical contacts, exporter readiness, a product-and-end-use requirements matrix, and scrap and recycling rules.
Read the Full eBriefing12-month cloud-based access · Updated during the subscription period
Principal sources: Eurostat, European Commission, EUR-Lex and official EU CBAM legislation and guidance. The verification section also refers to NABCB, Quality Council of India, for information on Indian verification bodies.
Legal and methodological note. Chapter 21 updated with information available up to 2 October 2026; Chapter 19 retains its 30 September 2026 cutoff; other chapters retain the 23 September 2026 information cutoff. The requirements matrix is an initial screening tool and must be checked against the exact product, intended use and destination Member State. Import unit values are statistical averages and should not be interpreted as individual transaction prices. Carbon-value references are analytical indicators and do not represent the final CBAM liability of an individual importer or shipment.
© 2026 eEuropa. All rights reserved.
Acronyms and Abbreviations
The following acronyms and abbreviations are used throughout this eBriefing.
| Acronym / Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| CBAM | Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism |
| CCTS | Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (India) |
| CN | Combined Nomenclature |
| CO₂ | Carbon dioxide |
| DaaS | Data as a Service |
| EEA | European Economic Area |
| ETS | Emissions Trading System |
| EU | European Union |
| EU ETS | European Union Emissions Trading System |
| EUALU | eEuropa eBriefing on Aluminium Imports into the European Union |
| FTA | Free Trade Agreement |
| LME | London Metal Exchange |
| MFN | Most-Favoured-Nation |
| MRV | Monitoring, Reporting and Verification |
| PFCs | Perfluorocarbons |
| t | Tonne (metric tonne) |
| tCO₂ | Tonne of carbon dioxide |
| €/t | Euro per tonne |
| €/tCO₂ | Euro per tonne of carbon dioxide |
Note: CN codes refer to the EU Combined Nomenclature, used for the classification of goods for customs and international trade statistics. In EUALU, CN 7601 refers to unwrought aluminium, while CN 7602 refers to aluminium waste and scrap.
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