Steel and metal building products are category 2 construction products (family 2.a), and three eco-organismes are approved for them: Valobat, Ecomaison and Valdelia. Their rates differ by an order of magnitude: Valobat charges €1.00 a tonne on most metal lines, Ecomaison €2.00 a tonne for structure and envelope products and €15.00 for networks and outdoor items, Valdelia €20.00 a tonne above 95% metal. Metal has high scrap value, which explains the low rates. A metal producer outside France joins through a representative established in France (article L. 541-10-9-1).Sources (6)
Ministère de la Transition éMinistère de la Transition écologique — Produits et matériaux de construction du secteur du bâtiment (PMCB), page mise à jour le 24 novembre 2025Journal officielJournal officiel — Avis relatif au champ d'application de la filière REP PMCB, JO du 17 juin 2023 (NOR TREP2315866V)
LégifranceLégifrance — article L. 541-10-9-1 of the Environmental Code (full text)ValobatValobat — barèmes PMCB
EcomaisonEcomaison — Guide des tarifs Bâtiment, 1er juillet 2026
ValdeliaValdelia — Barème éco-contribution PMCB 2026 (catégorie 2)
What is covered
Family 2.a lists metal structure, reinforcing steel, cladding and roofing, pipes and fittings, sanitary metalwork and taps, gates, garage doors, shutters, doors, stairs, guardrails, cables, radiators, ducts and lifts. Metal windows and glazed doors fall in family 2.d (joinery with glass). Products in another EPR stream, such as electrical equipment or furniture, are excluded. Journal officiel
The rates, side by side
| Eco-organisme | Product line (code) | Eco-contribution excl. VAT | Rate applies from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valobat | Reinforcing steel and prestressing steel (010400100) | €1.00 / tonne | 1 Jul 2026 Valobat |
| Valobat | Metal building structure element (010400300) | €1.00 / tonne | 1 Jul 2026 Valobat |
| Valobat | Metal cladding element (020600500) | €1.00 / tonne | 1 Jul 2026 Valobat |
| Valobat | Metal roofing element (020100700) | €1.00 / tonne | 1 Jul 2026 Valobat |
| Valobat | Metal piping, tubes, hoses and fittings (110200100) | €1.00 / tonne | 1 Jul 2026 Valobat |
| Valobat | Metal gutters, downpipes and accessories (110500200) | €1.00 / tonne | 1 Jul 2026 Valobat |
| Valobat | Wire mesh (120300200) | €1.04 / tonne | 1 Jul 2026 Valobat |
| Valobat | Construction fittings (061000300) | €4.77 / tonne | 1 Jul 2026 Valobat |
| Ecomaison | Structure, framing and envelope: Metal > 95% | €2.00 / tonne | 1 Jul 2026 Ecomaison |
| Ecomaison | Electrical, heating, air and sanitary: Metal > 95% | €15.00 / tonne | 1 Jul 2026 Ecomaison |
| Ecomaison | Garden: Metal > 95% | €15.00 / tonne | 1 Jul 2026 Ecomaison |
| Ecomaison | Hardware: Metal > 95% | €15.00 / tonne | 1 Jul 2026 Ecomaison |
| Ecomaison | Doors, windows and stairs: Metal staircase or guardrail > 95% | €15.00 / tonne | 1 Jul 2026 Ecomaison |
| Valdelia | Metal > 95% by weight | €20.00 / tonne | 1 Jan 2026 Valdelia |
| Valdelia | Metal > 50% by weight | €40.00 / tonne | 1 Jan 2026 Valdelia |
Worked example
Worked example: a steel products group sells 1,000 tonnes of structural steel and rebar, 200 tonnes of metal roofing and cladding and 100 tonnes of metal pipes into French buildings a year.
| Product | Eco-organisme | Calculation | Eco-contribution a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steel structure and rebar | Valobat | 1,000 tonnes × €1.00 Valobat | €1,000 |
| Metal roofing and cladding | Valobat | 200 tonnes × €1.00 Valobat | €200 |
| Metal pipes | Valobat | 100 tonnes × €1.00 Valobat | €100 |
| Steel structure and rebar | Ecomaison | 1,000 tonnes × €2.00 Ecomaison | €2,000 |
| Metal roofing and cladding | Ecomaison | 200 tonnes × €2.00 Ecomaison | €400 |
| Metal pipes | Ecomaison | 100 tonnes × €15.00 Ecomaison | €1,500 |
| Steel structure and rebar | Valdelia | 1,000 tonnes × €20.00 Valdelia | €20,000 |
| Metal roofing and cladding | Valdelia | 200 tonnes × €20.00 Valdelia | €4,000 |
| Metal pipes | Valdelia | 100 tonnes × €20.00 Valdelia | €2,000 |
Valobat: €1,300. Ecomaison: €3,900. Valdelia: €26,000. For a pure metal range, Valobat's scale is the cheapest of the three by a wide margin. Building hardware (fittings) is the exception: Valobat charges €4.77 a tonne, still below Ecomaison's €15.00. Sources (2)ValobatValobat — barèmes PMCBEcomaisonEcomaison — Guide des tarifs Bâtiment, 1er juillet 2026
Who is the producer
Under article R. 543-290 of the Environmental Code, the producer is whoever manufactures or has manufactured the product under its own name or brand for use in buildings in France, or imports it or first places it on the French market. The 2023 scope notice names three importers: a French site's client buying abroad, a contractor buying abroad to install, and a distributor buying abroad. Each of them pays “sauf si elles sont en mesure de prouver que l'exportateur a lui-même contribué”, unless they can prove the exporter already contributed. A foreign manufacturer that joins an eco-organisme itself, through a representative established in France (article L. 541-10-9-1, mandatory since 10 July 2026), takes that cost and paperwork off its French customers. Distributors increasingly ask for that proof. Sources (2)LégifranceLégifrance — article L. 541-10-9-1 of the Environmental Code (full text)Journal officielJournal officiel — Avis relatif au champ d'application de la filière REP PMCB, JO du 17 juin 2023 (NOR TREP2315866V)
How a representative saves you money here
- Choosing the scheme: in the example the gap between the cheapest and the dearest is €24,700 a year.
- Using the over-95%-metal line where the product qualifies, not the mixed-material line (Valdelia doubles the rate below 95%).
ADEME - Keeping metal windows and glazed doors on their own family 2.d lines, per unit, and electrical items out of the declaration. Journal officiel
What we need from you
- Company name, registration and VAT numbers, and the person who signs
- Your product list with the eco-organisme product code for each line (we map it with you) ADEME
- Quantities placed on the French market per line, in the unit the line uses (tonne, m³, m², metre or unit), for the past year and an estimate for the coming one
- Who your French customers are (distributors, contractors, end clients), to settle who is the producer for each flow
Price
Our fee. Construction products are quoted separately, because the work depends on the eco-organisme (Ecominéro takes monthly declarations, Valobat one a year) and on your tonnage. Plus Pro starts at €990 a year for up to 10 tonnes; above that we send a written quote. Setup is €0. Eco-contributions go to the eco-organisme at its published rate, with 0% markup. See pricing or the construction products service.
Frequently asked questions
Is rebar category 1 because it goes into concrete?
No. Reinforcing steel is a metal product, family 2.a, category 2. The concrete around it is category 1.
Can I join Ecominéro for metal?
No. Ecominéro is approved for category 1 (mineral products) only. ADEME
Are aluminium composite panels metal?
Not under the over-95% metal lines. Valobat rates composite panels with aluminium facings per m²; sandwich panels have lines by core material. ADEME
Razvan Toma is the founder of EPR France Rep, a France-established authorised representative (mandataire) for producers with no French establishment. He has worked in waste management and recycling since 2009, running waste-separation programmes inside large B2B organisations in France for clients including Chanel, Microsoft, Decathlon, Pirelli, IKEA, Vinci, Capgemini and E.Leclerc.
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