Technical Analysis

Made-in-Italy tracker: now a great deal on price, too.

📅 August 2026

⏱ Reading time: 6 minutes

🎯 For PV installers, EPCs, and distributors

You had always bought non-EU trackers because their list prices beat those of any European manufacturer. In 2026, that calculation fell apart: between the 50% tariff on steel exceeding quotas and CBAM carbon certificates, the actual price you pay—cleared through customs and delivered to the site—tells a different story.

What you will find in this article

The list price has stopped telling you the truth.

For years, the choice of structure for a ground-mounted system was almost automatic: three quotes would be requested, the Asian tracker with the lowest list price would win, and the cost difference compared to a European manufacturer easily covered transport and customs clearance. In 2026, two European measures shifted the balance, and both directly affect the raw material used to make trackers: steel.

The first is the new EU steel safeguard measure, effective from July 1, 2026: duty-free import quotas are dropping to 18.3 million tonnes per year—a 47% decrease compared to 2024—and the duty on volumes exceeding this threshold is doubling from 25% to 50%. The second is the definitive phase of the CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, the European system that imposes a charge on the embedded carbon in imports), which becomes operational on January 1, 2026, specifically covering steel, iron, and metal structures.

Where the surcharge is hidden

1. Out-of-quota duty: from 25% to 50%

Duty-free quotas are exhausted on a product-family and quarterly basis; once the quota is filled, a 50% duty applies to every subsequent tonne. For those ordering structures months in advance, the primary issue is uncertainty: at the time of ordering, you do not know whether your shipment will clear customs within or outside the quota. For a multi-MW supply, the difference between the two scenarios is worth more than any discount negotiated with the manufacturer.

2. The CBAM: certificates, reporting, and consultants

Starting January 1, 2026, importers of steel and metal structures must report the emissions embedded in their products. From February 2027, they must also purchase CBAM certificates—linked to the price of the ETS (the European emissions trading system)—which are managed in Italy via the MASE registry. Chinese steel, predominantly produced using coal-fired blast furnaces, embodies higher emissions than European steel made in electric arc furnaces; higher emissions mean more certificates must be purchased. Added to this are the direct costs of compliance, including authorized declarant fees, verification of supplier emissions data, and customs consultancy. These are costs that the importer—whether that is you or your supplier—inevitably passes on to the final price.

3. "Melt and pour": triangulation no longer works

The classic workaround—routing steel through or reprocessing it in a third country to alter its country of origin—has been eliminated: as of October 1, 2026, the “melt and pour” rule applies, meaning that for tariff purposes, the country where the steel was melted and cast determines its origin, not the country where it was bent or assembled. To European customs authorities, a “Vietnamese” product made from steel melted in China remains Chinese steel.

4. The risk you never budget for

Beyond the known costs, there are potential ones: customs holds due to incomplete CBAM documentation, disputes regarding origin, and delivery delays that eat into the penalties outlined in your EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction—i.e., turnkey) contract. If your construction schedule hinges on a ship and three customs clearance stages, you are essentially paying for that low list price with added risk.

📊 The big picture in a single sentence:

In 2026, the proper comparison between trackers will be based on the final price delivered to the project site—including customs clearance, CBAM certificates, compliance costs, and delay risk. On this basis, the European product—and the Italian one in particular—becomes competitive again across a much wider range of projects than before.

The Italian alternative: TATM3

PVclick has added the TATM3 to its catalog—a horizontal single-axis tracker designed and manufactured entirely in Italy by a metalworking company with 64 years of experience and 240 MW of ground-mounted installations to its name. No shipping containers, no quotas to track, and no CBAM paperwork: the steel is smelted and processed in Europe, and the price you sign for is the price you pay.

Technically speaking, this is a 1P tracker featuring ±55° rotation, uniform-distribution backtracking, and wind and snow sensors with automatic safety positioning; it has undergone wind tunnel testing using full-scale panels and complies with CEI EN 62817 standards, including testing against extreme winds of 40 m/s. According to the manufacturer, on-site assembly requires up to 40% fewer man-hours compared to other single-axis systems, and direct support is available within 24 hours for both mechanical and electronic components. You can find full specifications and technical data on the TATM3 tracker page.

The logic is the same as when you import modules directly from the factory: shortening the supply chain and eliminating middlemen. For modules, the short supply chain runs through China, as tariffs and CBAM do not currently affect panels from there; for steel structures, however, the shortest and most cost-effective supply chain in 2026 is one that originates in an Italian factory. A sound purchasing strategy combines both approaches: