All CBAM CN codes
CN 7608Covered by CBAMAluminium

CN 7608 under CBAM — Aluminium Tubes & Pipes

Aluminium tubes and pipes

Aluminium tubes and pipes — extruded or drawn, for heat exchangers, irrigation, pneumatic and structural applications. Indian producers, often extrusion houses with tube capability, export to EU HVAC, automotive and engineering buyers under this heading.

Covered
CBAM status of this heading
1 Jan 2026
Definitive phase — certificates due
€70–80
per tCO₂ — certificate price tracks EU ETS
up to ~40%
typical cost cut with verified actuals
Emission profile

Where the emissions in CN 7608 come from

As with all downstream aluminium, the billet precursor carries the smelting story — coal-power metal at 14–18 tCO₂/t versus hydro at 4–7 and scrap-based at 0.5–1.5 — while extrusion or drawing adds a modest, metered increment. The EU default value for this heading is deliberately conservative; the billet chain, documented and verified, is where the number is won.

Why we don’t print a default value here

The EU publishes and updates specific default values per goods category separately — quoting a stale number would mislead you. What never changes: defaults are set deliberately high, and the markup escalates from 10% in 2026 to 30% by 2028 for steel and aluminium (free-allowance phase-out runs to 2034). Use the CBAM calculator for a current, product-specific estimate.

What to do

Exporting under CN 7608? Three moves, in order.

  1. 01

    Identify your production route and precursors

    Trace the billet source and its power, or document your remelt charge if you cast your own — the metal precursor dominates. Bound the press, drawbench and annealing stages.

  2. 02

    Collect the data you already have

    Billet purchase or remelt records, press and drawbench electricity bills, annealing data, production weights by alloy and size.

  3. 03

    File verified actuals, not defaults

    Have the numbers computed to the EU CBAM methodology and verified, then hand your EU buyer’s Authorised Declarant a filing they can use. Verified actuals typically cut the CBAM cost by up to ~40% versus default values — and the default markup only gets worse, escalating from 10% in 2026 to 30% by 2028 for steel and aluminium.

Free this quarter: We cover your first report (April–June 2026) so an inflated EU default never costs you an order. Continue only if you choose to. Free for the April–June 2026 quarter — start your report by 30 September 2026.

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Frequently asked

CN 7608 and CBAM, in plain English

Is CN 7608 covered by CBAM?

Yes. CN 7608 — aluminium tubes and pipes — is a covered good under the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. Any consignment under this heading imported into the EU has carried reporting obligations since the transitional phase (1 October 2023 – 31 December 2025), and since the definitive phase began on 1 January 2026 the EU importer must buy CBAM certificates against its embedded emissions. Heat-exchanger, irrigation and structural aluminium tube for EU buyers imports under this heading.

How much CBAM cost does CN 7608 face in 2026?

CBAM certificates track the EU ETS carbon price — roughly €70–80 per tonne of CO₂ in 2026 — so the bill is your embedded emissions multiplied by that price. Aluminium’s bill is dominated by electricity: coal-powered primary metal carries several times the embedded emissions of hydro-powered or scrap-based metal, so two identical consignments can face wildly different CBAM costs. Verified actuals typically cut the cost by up to ~40% versus defaults — use our calculator for a product-specific estimate.

We make both aluminium tube (7608) and steel tube (7306). Can one CBAM engagement cover both?

Yes — the EU methodology differs by sector (aluminium counts indirect electricity emissions; the precursor chains differ) but the working process is the same: boundary mapping, data collection from documents you already keep, supplier chase, verified filing. Multi-material exporters are common in our work; the deliverable is one coherent data package your EU buyers’ declarants can use across both product lines.

Are finned or machined heat-exchanger tubes still under 7608?

Working such as finning or end-machining generally keeps tube within the heading’s scope, while assembly into complete heat exchangers moves the product elsewhere in the tariff. Since coverage follows the CN code on your customs declaration, verify the classification with your buyer’s broker — and remember that either way, the aluminium’s embedded emissions were set upstream at the smelter.