Norway supplied the most aluminium to the EU in 2024 at EUR 4.4 billion, ahead of China, Türkiye, Iceland and Switzerland, out of roughly EUR 29.6 billion in imports. Norway, Iceland and Switzerland are exempt under Annex III, so CBAM pricing falls chiefly on China, Türkiye, the United Kingdom and the Gulf, with India a smaller supplier.
The EU aluminium import map for 2024
The EU imported about EUR 29.6 billion of aluminium and aluminium articles (HS 76) in 2024, according to Eurostat trade data. Norway leads by a clear margin, yet the raw ranking misleads for CBAM purposes because the mechanism does not price every origin.
| Supplier | 2024 imports | Share | CBAM status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norway | EUR 4.4bn | 15 percent | Exempt (Annex III) |
| China | EUR 3.9bn | 13.2 percent | In scope |
| Türkiye | EUR 2.7bn | 9.3 percent | In scope |
| Iceland | EUR 2.1bn | 7.3 percent | Exempt (Annex III) |
| Switzerland | EUR 1.7bn | 5.8 percent | Exempt (Annex III) |
| India | about EUR 0.9bn | about 3 percent | In scope |
Source: Eurostat, reference year 2024. Gulf suppliers such as the UAE and Bahrain also ship material volumes into the EU and sit fully in scope.
The exemption twist that reorders the list
Norway, Iceland and Switzerland fall outside CBAM under Annex III of Regulation (EU) 2023/956, because each participates in the EU ETS or an emissions trading system linked to it. Their metal enters the EU with no CBAM obligation at all, whatever its emissions profile; the sibling answer on why Norwegian and Icelandic aluminium is exempt covers the legal basis. Strip the exempt origins out and the priced field narrows to China, Türkiye, the United Kingdom and the Gulf, with India a smaller supplier. Exposure per tonne also differs sharply. The default direct emissions for unwrought aluminium (CN 7601) are 3.000 tCO2e per tonne for China, 1.870 for India and 1.700 for Türkiye, before the mark-up. The largest priced volume, China, therefore also carries the heaviest default per tonne.
What the map means for buyers and exporters
Origin now sets the carbon bill as much as the invoice does. Aluminium is an Annex II good, so the definitive regime that began on 1 January 2026 prices direct embedded emissions only. The declarant surrenders certificates for those emissions minus the free allocation adjustment, priced off EU ETS auctions. That deduction shrinks each year: the CBAM factor is 97.5 percent in 2026, and from 2034 nothing is deducted for free allocation. In 2026, 2.5 percent of the benchmark is no longer deducted. That figure is not 2.5 percent of the embedded emissions. Importers weighing Chinese, Turkish or Indian metal can compare origins in the CBAM cost calculator; the India-specific figures sit in the sibling answer on default values for Indian aluminium. Exporters competing against exempt Norwegian metal can engage a CBAM solutions consulting service to prepare installation data for verification by an accredited verifier.
Sources: Regulation (EU) 2023/956 · European Commission, Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism