CBAM software covers 4 jobs: filing, supplier emissions data, import data, and calculation inside another system. The right tool depends on the job, so this comparison shows what Dubrink, CarbonChain, AEB, Climatiq and CBAM Data actually publish.
- Filing: submitting the annual declaration and surrendering certificates.
- Supplier data: collecting verified actual emissions from producers outside the EU.
- Import data: finding the CBAM lines in customs declarations and summing tonnes per importer.
- Calculation inside another system: putting scope, default value and certificate cost on every import line of an ERP, customs or trade system.
Job 1: filing, which no vendor does for you
The annual CBAM declaration is filed in the CBAM Registry, run by the European Commission, and the certificates are bought on its common central platform from 1 February 2027. Access is free and goes through the national competent authority. A vendor can prepare the data and the file, but the filing, the authorisation and the certificate account sit with the authorised declarant in the Registry.
The tools compared
Read on each vendor's own website on 16 September 2026.
| Tool | Main job | Supplier data | Declaration file | API | Published price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubrink | Importer compliance, CBAM only | Yes, supplier plans | PDF and XML reports | Not stated on pricing page | Starter €1,990/year, Premium €2,990/year |
| CarbonChain | Supplier and installation emissions | Yes, outreach and validation | EU-compliant reporting | Enterprise integrations | Not published, free calculator and catalogue |
| AEB Customs Management | Customs declarations | No | Data extracts for CBAM reports | Customs platform | Not published |
| Climatiq | Emissions calculation API | Primary data announced | No | REST API | Not on the CBAM page |
| CBAM Data | CBAM cost and change data API | No | No | REST API, webhooks, MCP | Importer €99/month, Developer €199/month |
Dubrink: for an importer that wants one CBAM tool
Dubrink is built for CBAM only. It takes import data, helps collect producer data, runs the emissions calculation and produces PDF and XML reports. It is also the only vendor here with a public price list. Starter costs €1,990 a year for one entity, up to 1,000 tonnes and 10 suppliers. Premium costs €2,990 a year for up to 15,000 tonnes and 50 suppliers. Enterprise is on request. Suppliers have their own plans, and a supplier or importer connected to a paying counterpart can use a free tier.
Choose it if you are an importer with a few dozen suppliers and want the declaration prepared in one place.
CarbonChain: for supplier and installation data
CarbonChain works on both sides of the border. For importers, it validates actual emissions against defaults, runs supplier outreach and keeps an audit trail. For producers, it models installation emissions and prepares verification-ready data. It also runs a public catalogue of steel and aluminium facilities, searchable by product code, and a free CBAM calculator. It does not publish prices.
Choose it if your cost depends on replacing default values with real data from metal suppliers.
AEB Customs Management: for the import data you already hold
AEB is customs software. Its help centre documents how to extract CBAM lines from customs declarations. The extract filters the Annex I codes, excludes goods from Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, and runs on a schedule. That solves job 3 for companies whose declarations already run through AEB. The CBAM cost is left to another tool, as in most customs software.
Choose it if your customs declarations are already in AEB and you need the tonnage and code list.
Climatiq: for a general emissions API
Climatiq is an emissions calculation API. Its CBAM endpoint takes customs data (CN code, production region, weight) and returns direct and indirect emissions, using EU default and region-specific factors, with an audit trail. It suits a product that already calculates footprints across many activities and wants CBAM as one more category.
Choose it if you need emissions for many activities, CBAM among them, from one API.
CBAM Data: for software that needs the CBAM cost on every line
CBAM Data is ours. It is an API for the vendors in job 4: customs, ERP, trade compliance and carbon accounting software whose own customers import CBAM goods. One call to /v1/resolve takes a CN code, origin, tonnes and year. It returns scope, the default value with its mark-up, the CBAM benchmark and factor, the free allocation adjustment, certificates, euro cost, the 50 t threshold flag and the filing date, each with its article. A change the Commission makes to default values, prices or scope becomes a versioned diff, sent by webhook.
What it does not do: it does not collect supplier data, verify actual emissions, generate the declaration XML or connect to the CBAM Registry. An importer that needs those needs one of the tools above as well.
Choose it if you build software and want CBAM cost and change alerts inside your product without maintaining the Commission's tables. The free CBAM calculator runs the same engine, 3 answers a day with no account.
Here is one line a CBAM API should make clear. For CN 7208 from India, 100 tonnes imported in 2026, the 31 July 2026 default dataset uses 4.28 tCO2e per tonne and the 2026 10% mark-up. That's 470.8 tCO2e embedded. The free allocation adjustment, 97.5% of the route C CBAM benchmark of 1.37 tCO2e per tonne, takes off 133.575 tCO2e and leaves 337.225 tCO2e subject to CBAM. That rounds up to 338 certificates, or €25,444.64 at the bundled 2026 Q2 price of €75.28. The default row comes from Regulation (EU) 2026/1740, the benchmark from Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2620.
Questions to ask any vendor
- Which default value version do you use today? Since 31 July 2026 it should be Regulation (EU) 2026/1740. See what the correction changed.
- How do you match an 8-digit CN code to a default published at a four- or 6-digit heading?
- Do you apply the mark-up by year, and 1% for fertilisers?
- Which certificate price do you use for 2026 imports, and how will you handle weekly prices in 2027?
- How am I told when the Commission changes a value?
- Can I export everything, in a format my next tool can read?
The spreadsheet, honestly
A spreadsheet with the Commission's workbook still works for an importer with a handful of codes and 1 or 2 origins. It breaks at a full replacement of the annex. On 31 July 2026 rows moved between code lengths, and every lookup keyed on 8 digits had to be rebuilt. We compared the two in CBAM Data vs the spreadsheet.
FAQ
What is the best CBAM software?
There is no single best tool. Dubrink covers importer compliance, CarbonChain covers supplier and installation data, AEB covers customs data, Climatiq covers emissions calculations, and CBAM Data covers cost and change data inside another product.
Does CBAM software file the declaration?
The authorised declarant files in the European Commission's CBAM Registry. Software can prepare the data and report, but the authorisation, filing and certificate account stay with the declarant.
How much does CBAM software cost?
Dubrink publishes Starter at €1,990 a year and Premium at €2,990 a year. CarbonChain, AEB and Climatiq do not publish a CBAM price on the pages compared here. CBAM Data publishes plans at €99 a month for importers and €199 a month for developers.
Does CBAM software have an API?
Climatiq publishes a REST API for emissions calculations, while CBAM Data publishes a REST API, webhooks and MCP access for CBAM cost and change data. Dubrink's pricing page does not state an API.
Sources: vendor websites read on 16 September 2026: Dubrink pricing, CarbonChain CBAM, AEB help centre on CBAM data, Climatiq CBAM. The Commission's CBAM Registry page.