India is a real but mid-tier aluminium supplier to the EU under CBAM: around EUR 1 billion in 2024, about 3 percent of imports and outside the top 5, and home to major primary aluminium producers Hindalco, Vedanta and Nalco. India is also the EU’s 5th largest aluminium export destination at EUR 0.8 billion.
India’s position in EU aluminium trade
India ranks as a real but mid-tier aluminium supplier to the European Union. Eurostat data for reference year 2024 puts EU aluminium imports at about EUR 29.5 billion across HS 76, the trade heading that mirrors CBAM’s CN 7601 to 7616 scope. Its share is around EUR 1 billion, about 3 percent, outside the top 5, and it is home to major primary aluminium producers Hindalco, Vedanta and Nalco. Trade runs both ways: India is the EU’s 5th largest aluminium export destination at EUR 0.8 billion. The full supplier map sits in the sibling answer on top aluminium suppliers to the EU.
| Measure (2024) | Value |
|---|---|
| EU aluminium imports, HS 76 | about EUR 29.5 billion |
| India’s share | around EUR 1 billion, about 3 percent |
| India’s rank | mid-tier, outside the top 5 |
| Top 5 suppliers | Norway, China, Türkiye, Iceland, Switzerland |
Source: Eurostat, reference year 2024.
Carbon intensity sits modestly above the EU benchmark
Indian aluminium carries a direct emissions intensity only modestly above European production. Hasanbeigi / ORF 2025 estimates put India at 1.75 tCO2e per tonne of direct emissions against 1.65 for the EU, and below the estimated 2.28 for China, the highest of the major routes. The estimate is consistent with the official India default of 1.87 for unwrought aluminium (CN 7601) in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2621. Aluminium is an Annex II good, so the definitive regime that began on 1 January 2026 prices direct embedded emissions only; the coal-heavy grid behind Indian smelters adds nothing to the certificate obligation unless the scope is later extended to indirect emissions.
The verified-data case for Indian producers
Verified installation data is the strongest lever for Indian exporters. On the default path the unwrought base of 1.87 carries a 10 percent mark-up in 2026 to 2.06, while producers whose actual direct intensity tracks the estimated 1.75 (Hasanbeigi / ORF 2025) declare below that marked-up figure, and the gap compounds as the payable share climbs from 2.5 percent in 2026 to 100 percent by 2034. Actual data has been required since 1 August 2024 and the first annual declaration falls due on 30 September 2027, with emissions verified by an accredited verifier. Product-level figures sit in the sibling answer on default values for Indian aluminium; exporters can map their exposure through the CBAM discovery intake and engage a CBAM solutions consulting service to prepare installation data for verification.
Sources: Regulation (EU) 2023/956 · Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2621 · European Commission, Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism