CBAM ComplianceBlog › CBAM Fertilisers
CBAM Fertilisers: embedded emissions, default values & how to cut your bill (2026)
Fertiliser CBAM emissions start upstream, with ammonia. The hydrogen feedstock for the Haber-Bosch process is the carbon hotspot, nitric acid adds nitrous oxide, and blended NPK/AN/CAN products carry the emissions of those precursors.
The ammonia precursor chain
Ammonia made by steam reforming of natural gas is around 2.1 tCO₂e per tonne; gasification routes are higher. Nitric acid (Ostwald process) adds N₂O emissions. A finished fertiliser embeds the emissions of whichever precursors it contains, so the chain — ammonia → nitric acid → blended product — has to be traced.
Why green hydrogen matters here
Because the hydrogen feedstock drives ammonia's footprint, low-carbon or electrolytic hydrogen (on clean power) is the main route to a lower fertiliser number. The tour walks the precursor chain so the finished product's figure is traceable to each input.
Default values for fertilisers
Fertilisers carry a flat 1% default-value mark-up (unlike the 10/20/30% for metals and cement). Verified ammonia and process data still supports a lower, defensible figure.
Free cost check using the official EU default values — your number in two minutes.
Run the free estimateFertilisers CBAM — frequently asked
What drives the CBAM emissions of fertilisers?
Ammonia production — specifically the hydrogen feedstock — is the main hotspot (around 2.1 tCO₂e/t for steam-reformed ammonia). Nitric acid adds N₂O. The fertiliser tour shows the chain live.
What is the CBAM mark-up for fertilisers?
Fertilisers carry a flat 1% default-value mark-up, lower than the 10/20/30% phased mark-up for iron & steel, aluminium and cement.
Which goods are covered under CBAM fertilisers?
Nitrogen fertilisers and precursors under headings 3102, 3105 and 2814 of Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2023/956.