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CBAM supplier data request: templates and how to actually get a reply

A clear, polite CBAM data request your non-EU supplier will understand — plus the follow-up sequence that gets a reply in days, not weeks.

Published 19/10/2026 · Facts checked on 2026-10-18

Answer box

A CBAM supplier data request is a message you send to a non-EU supplier asking for the emissions data behind the goods you import. It should state the reporting year, the CN codes you buy from them, the data points you need (installation profile, fuels, electricity where in scope, production tonnes, precursors), the deadline (typically 30 June 2027 for the first EU filing), and a channel (WhatsApp or email) your supplier actually reads.

Why the English spreadsheet doesn’t work

An English spreadsheet attached to an email is the industry default. It is also the single biggest reason EU importers end up filing with EU default values plus the yearly mark-up (+10 % in 2026, +20 % in 2027, +30 % in 2028).

The practical reasons are predictable:

  • Factory offices in Ludhiana, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Tianjin or Istanbul don’t have an “ESG person” to open spreadsheets.
  • The person who reads the email is not the person with the bills.
  • The language of the email is wrong.
  • The template looks like compliance homework with no benefit.

A short, warm first message

Use these elements:

  • One line of why: “Under CBAM, if we don’t have your data, we must report EU default values plus a mark-up.”
  • Two lines of what: “I need, for 2026: fuels, electricity, production tonnes per product, precursor origin.”
  • One line of when: a date, not “soon”.
  • One line of how: a link they can open on their phone.

Our free supplier request letter generator drafts this in English, Hindi, Punjabi, Gujarati, German or Italian.

The follow-up sequence that actually works

  1. Day 0: send the WhatsApp message plus the email.
  2. Day 3: short WhatsApp reminder.
  3. Day 7: different person on your team calls or voice-notes.
  4. Day 14: last-chance reminder with a specific deadline.
  5. Day 15+: switch to EU default values with mark-up and tell the supplier what cost difference it created.

What goes in the request body

  • Installation name, address, country.
  • Each CN code you buy from them (8-digit) with annual tonnes.
  • 12 months of fuel bills by type.
  • 12 months of electricity bills (where the sector counts it).
  • Production in tonnes per product.
  • Monitoring plan version, if they have one.
  • Precursors: crude steel, billets, DRI, unwrought aluminium — with origin and emissions data where available.

Templates and tooling