“What does a carbon removal credit cost?” has no single answer. The cheapest removal credits in the market cost less than a restaurant lunch per tonne; the most expensive cost more than a new laptop. A buyer who budgets with one average will be wrong for every type in their portfolio.
This overview gives dated reference prices per removal type, explains why the types are priced so differently, and shows what moves the price within a type. All prices are public reference points from named sources. They are not quotes; the price of a specific project depends on its rating, volume, vintage and contract.
The short answer. In 2026, a carbon removal credit price per tonne is roughly USD 10 to 30 for reforestation, around USD 135 for biochar, around USD 220 for BECCS, around USD 350 for enhanced rock weathering and over USD 500 for direct air capture. Durability explains most of the spread.
Carbon removal prices per tonne at a glance
Removal type | Storage under SBTi V2 | Reference price | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|
Reforestation and afforestation (ARR), rated BBB or higher | Short-lived (decades to centuries) | USD 28.55 average | Sylvera, H1 2026 |
Reforestation and afforestation (ARR), rated BB or lower | Short-lived | USD 9.12 average | Sylvera, H1 2026 |
Short-lived removals overall | Short-lived | around USD 15 | MSCI, July 2026 |
Biochar | Long-lived where durability is demonstrated | EUR 135.35 index | Puro.earth CORCCHAR, August 2026 |
Biochar | As above | USD 136 weighted average | CDR.fyi, disclosed prices |
BECCS (bioenergy with carbon capture and storage) | Long-lived | USD 220 weighted average | CDR.fyi, disclosed prices |
Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) | Long-lived | USD 352 weighted average | CDR.fyi, disclosed prices |
Direct air capture with storage (DACCS) | Long-lived | USD 516 weighted average | CDR.fyi, disclosed prices |
Long-lived removals overall | Long-lived | minimum average around USD 130 | MSCI, July 2026 |
CDR.fyi figures were read on 6 October 2026 and are weighted averages of publicly disclosed deal prices, which include large forward contracts. Treat every figure as a reference point; what you pay depends on the project and the contract.
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Price per removal type
Reforestation, afforestation and agroforestry
The lowest-cost removals, and the most variable. Trees take up carbon as they grow, so credits are issued over decades, and the carbon can be released again by fire, drought or logging. That reversal risk is why these count as short-lived removals under SBTi V2 and why buffer pools matter.
The quality spread is large. Sylvera’s data for the first half of 2026 shows high-rated ARR credits at more than three times the price of low-rated ones: USD 28.55 against USD 9.12. Native-species restoration with strong community benefits sits at the top of the range; monoculture plantations at the bottom.
Biochar
Biochar is the most traded durable removal today. Biomass is heated without oxygen into a stable form of carbon that is mixed into soil or materials. Prices cluster around EUR 135 to USD 136 per tonne on the Puro.earth index and CDR.fyi, with large offtakes pushing volumes up: Sylvera counted USD 806 million of biochar offtakes for 3.17 million tonnes in the first half of 2026.
How long biochar stores carbon depends on the production temperature and how the material is used, which is why durability evidence differs per project. For SBTi’s long-lived category, check how the project demonstrates storage for centuries or longer.
BECCS
Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage captures CO2 from burning or processing biomass, for example at a pulp mill or a waste-to-energy plant, and stores it underground. CDR.fyi’s weighted average of USD 220 per tonne is shaped by a small number of very large contracts at industrial sites. Supply comes in big, lumpy volumes, often years in the future.
Enhanced rock weathering
Crushed silicate rock spread on farmland reacts with CO2 and locks it away as carbonate over time. The storage is long-lived; the challenge is measurement, which is why a large part of the price, around USD 352 per tonne on CDR.fyi, goes into monitoring, reporting and verification. Methodologies and measurement approaches are still developing, so check which standard a project uses and how it quantifies removals.
Direct air capture with storage
DAC pulls CO2 straight from the air with machines and stores it geologically. It is the most measurable removal and the most expensive: CDR.fyi’s weighted average is USD 516 per tonne, and current retail offers are higher. Prices are expected to fall as plants scale, but how fast is uncertain.
Ocean-based removals
Marine approaches such as ocean alkalinity enhancement and direct ocean removal are at an early stage. CDR.fyi lists alkalinity enhancement at USD 395 and direct ocean removal at USD 1,331 per tonne, based on few transactions. For most corporate portfolios they are a watch-list item for now.
Removal prices compared with avoidance credits
Removals sit far above the rest of the voluntary market. The average price of all credits retired in the second quarter of 2026 was USD 6.41 per credit (Sylvera), and MSCI put the 12-month average for reduction credits at around USD 3.6, or USD 8.6 for higher-quality ones. High-rated reforestation costs three to eight times the reduction-credit average; durable removals cost roughly twenty to eighty times the average retirement price.
That gap is why most companies combine both: avoidance credits to finance climate action at scale now, and a growing share of removals for the commitments that require them. Our avoidance vs removal guide covers how to structure that mix.
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What moves the price within one type
Two biochar credits can differ by more than USD 100 per tonne. The main drivers:
Durability evidence. Projects that demonstrate longer storage with better data are priced higher.
Measurement and verification. Direct measurement costs more than modelling, and buyers increasingly pay for it.
Rating and standard. Independent ratings and the issuing standard (for example Puro.earth, Isometric or Verra) shift prices, as the ARR quality gap shows.
Delivered or forward. Credits that exist today cost more than tonnes to be delivered in 2030, but forward tonnes carry delivery risk.
Volume and contract length. Multi-year offtakes lower the price per tonne in exchange for commitment.
Co-benefits and location. Projects with certified community or biodiversity benefits command a premium.
Where removal prices are heading
Two data points shape the outlook for the next five years. CDR.fyi’s 2026 pricing survey found a gap of USD 98 per tonne between what durable removal buyers want to pay and what suppliers need, down from USD 107 a year earlier and projected to narrow to around USD 48 by 2030. The same survey judged it unlikely that durable removals will broadly reach USD 100 per tonne by 2030.
Second, most durable removal capacity is already sold. CDR.fyi counts 50.5 million tonnes contracted against 1.7 million tonnes delivered so far. With SBTi V2 requiring Category A companies to buy removals from 2035, and a growing long-lived share after that, demand for the same scarce capacity will rise. Our article on SBTi carbon removal requirements shows how quickly the volumes grow.
Spot or offtake for removals
For short-lived removals, buying spot each year works: supply is broad and prices are low enough that timing matters less. For durable removals, the choice is different. Because most capacity is contracted years ahead, an offtake that fixes price and volume is often the only way to secure supply for a specific year. Our guide to spot, forward and offtake pricing compares the options, and our offtake agreement page explains how Regreener structures them. For a structured purchase with several suppliers, see how to run a carbon removal tender.
Tip from Bernard de Wit, Co-founder of Regreener: “Compare removal prices between projects of the same type. A USD 140 biochar credit with weak durability evidence can be worse value than a USD 180 one with strong evidence. And for durable removals, the question that matters most in 2026 is often whether a supplier will still have volume for you in 2035.”
Price is one test; quality is the other. Every removal project Regreener offers goes through our 100+ datapoint quality framework, and a low price is a reason to look harder. Our general carbon credit price overview covers avoidance credits as well.
Budget your removals
Prices per tonne only become a budget once you know your volume per year and the mix of short-lived and long-lived removals. Regreener’s free planner turns your emissions and targets into a year-by-year removal volume and budget range, with low, mid and high price paths and a spot versus offtake comparison. For the volume side, see how many carbon credits your company needs.
If you want current offers for specific removal projects, talk to a Climate Strategist.
