Comparison
CBAM Data vs The Spreadsheet
A manual workbook maintained with European Commission default value tables and internal formulas.
| Evaluation criterion | In-House Spreadsheet | CBAM Data |
|---|---|---|
| Official default values | Requires manual extraction from European Commission Excel sheets. Formulas require manual updates as values change. | Bundles official European Commission default values (Reg (EU) 2025/2621 as corrected by Reg (EU) 2026/1740) with automatic statutory markups (10% to 30%) and sector routing. |
| CBAM certificate price | Requires manual quarterly and weekly tracking of European Commission auction average publications. | Tracks official European Commission published quarterly prices (weekly from 2027) based on EEX auction averages, integrated directly into certificate cost estimates. |
| Regulatory change feed | No automated change detection. Updates depend entirely on staff noticing new Official Journal publications. | Emits cryptographic diffs generated on every official data ingest, published as pages, feeds, and email alerts. |
| Phase-in and deduction rules | Requires maintaining manual formulas across changing phase-in schedules and currency conversions. | Applies Art. 31 phase-in schedule (2.5% in 2026 to 100% in 2034) and Art. 9 origin carbon price deduction formulas in pure code. |
| System integration | No direct system integration. Requires manual copy-paste into customs software and ERPs. | Sub-millisecond REST API (/v1/resolve), OpenAPI 3.1 specification, and Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for automated customs systems. |
| Pricing structure | Internal staff hours to build, audit, and maintain formulas, plus financial risk from calculation errors. | Fixed monthly subscription (€99 Importer, €199 Developer) with included calls and no per-request metering or unexpected overage bills. |
Summary & Recommendation
Spreadsheets work for initial exploratory estimates during the transitional period. As mandatory certificate purchases and quarterly deadlines take effect in 2027, manual workbooks increase audit risk and staff workload. CBAM Data provides automated calculations with verifiable regulatory citations directly in your systems.
Keep every import line on the current rule.
One call returns the scope, certificates, euro cost and filing date for a CN code. When the Commission changes a value, a webhook tells your system.
3 free answers a day, no account. Plans start with a 7-day trial.