Your buyer asked where your ingot, billet or coil comes from

Many CBAM questions are really about your suppliers. Your buyer needs to know where your metal came from and how much carbon it carries.

Reviewed by the Carbon Passport compliance team, Singapore. Updated and checked against official EU sources on 28 September 2026. Rules change often; we update this page when they do.

Quick answer

Buyers ask where your ingot, billet or coil comes from because precursor emissions are added to your product's figure, and default values are set by country of origin. Send a list of precursor purchases with supplier, tonnes and country of production, plus mill certificates.

What this request is

A request for the suppliers, quantities and countries of origin of the aluminium or steel you buy and process, sometimes with their embedded emissions and mill certificates.

Why your buyer is asking

For most processors, precursor emissions make up most of the product's embedded emissions. If the precursor producer has no CBAM data, default values apply, and these are set by country. The communication template also asks for precursor origin.

What to send

  1. A list of precursor purchases for the period: supplier, product, tonnes, country
  2. Your suppliers' CBAM data where you have it
  3. Mill certificates or supplier declarations as evidence
  4. How you link precursor tonnes to the products you shipped

Be careful about

  • Giving the trader's country instead of where the metal was produced
  • Mixing precursors from different origins into one average without saying so
  • Sharing commercial prices. They aren't needed for CBAM

A reply you can adapt

Dear [name],

Please find attached our precursor summary for [period], listing each supplier of [ingot / billet / coil], tonnes purchased and country of production, with mill certificates.

[Supplier A] has provided its own CBAM data, included in the attachment. For [Supplier B] we have requested data and will update you by [date]; until then, the default value for [country] applies.

Kind regards,
[name]

Keep a copy of everything you send. The same buyer will ask again next year, and other buyers will ask for the same data.

Got a request you're not sure about?

Send us what your buyer sent. We'll tell you what they need and what it will take, free, within one week.

Send your request

Frequently asked questions

Why does my buyer need my suppliers' country?

Because default values for precursors are set by country of origin, and precursor emissions are part of your product's figure.

What if I buy through a trader?

Report the country where the metal was produced, not where the trader is based. Ask the trader for mill certificates.

Do I have to share prices?

No. CBAM needs quantities, origin and emissions, not prices.

Sources

This guide explains the rules in plain language. It isn't legal advice; see our disclaimer. Always check the current official texts and your buyer's instructions.

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