Price Indexes and Benchmarks
Public price discovery for biochar / engineered CDR is thin. The main open biochar-specific index is Puro × Nasdaq CORCCHAR. This note explains what it measures, how it relates to bilateral offtakes, and what remains opaque. Research retrieved 2026-09-14.
Deep Puro fee + index companion: Puro Pricing and CORC Indexes
Volume context: Market Volumes and Pricing · Historical Deals · Durable CDR Quality Tiers
Parent MOC: Market Hub
1. Live index pages (bookmark these)
| Resource | URL | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Puro Carbon Removal Indexes (CORCX / CORCCHAR levels) | https://puro.earth/buy-carbon-credits/removal-certificate-corc/carbon-removal-indexes/ | Primary live table; methodology & factsheet downloads |
| CORC product page | https://puro.earth/buy-carbon-credits/removal-certificate-corc/ | What a CORC is |
| Puro fees (supplier economics) | https://puro.earth/certified-carbon-credits/fees/ | Not a credit price—service/retirement fees |
| Puro Registry | https://registry.puro.earth/ | Issued / retired counters |
| CDR.fyi market updates | https://www.cdr.fyi/blog/ | Volume & occasional price-direction commentary |
Re-pull before any investment or offtake decision—levels change monthly.
2. CORCX and CORCCHAR — snapshot (as of retrieval)
Source: Puro Carbon Removal Indexes, retrieved 2026-09-14:
| Index | Scope | Aug 2026 level | 1-month change | 6-month change | YTD change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CORCX | Composite of all CORC pathway transactions | €150.40 | +€12.05 (+8.71%) | +€10.29 (+7.35%) | +€15.31 (+11.33%) |
| CORCCHAR | Biochar CORC transactions only | €135.35 | +€6.12 (+4.74%) | +€3.81 (+2.74%) | +€2.50 (+1.88%) |
How to read them
- Transaction-based: Indexes track reported near-term CORC transactions under a Nasdaq methodology—not a theoretical model price.
- Puro-only: Levels apply to CORCs under the Puro Standard. They are not quotes for Verra Verra VM0044 VCUs, Isometric Biochar Protocol credits, or CSI Global Biochar C-Sink C-sinks.
- Near-term bias: Designed for price discovery on inventory that trades soon—not a perfect proxy for 10-year offtake strike prices.
- CORCCHAR vs CORCX: In Aug 2026, biochar sat ~€15 below the all-CORC composite. That gap can reflect pathway mix (other CORC methods in CORCX), liquidity, and timing—not a global “biochar discount” law.
- EU benchmark caveats: Puro notes potential qualification as a benchmark under Regulation (EU) 2016/1011 for certain financial uses—read the factsheet before referencing in contracts.
- More indexes planned as other methodologies gain transaction density (Puro page statement).
Full commercial context (fees, offtake waiver, liquidity days): Puro Pricing and CORC Indexes · Puro.earth Overview.
3. Other public / semi-public benchmarks
| Benchmark type | What exists publicly | Limitation |
|---|---|---|
| CDR.fyi disclosed-order WAP | All durable CDR: 320 / t (2023→2024) | Method mix; not BCR-only |
| CDR.fyi biochar direction | BCR prices +18% YoY 2023→2024 | Exact $/t omitted from abridged YIR |
| BCR market value series | 33.9M → $181.5M (2022–24) | Uses 2024 pricing basis × volumes (Snapshot) |
| OPIS / survey mentions | YIR references CDR.fyi × OPIS pricing survey for purchaser/supplier expectations | Detailed survey results not in abridged post |
| Science abatement costs | Literature ranges (see Quantitative Benchmarks) | Not market clearing prices |
| Verra / Isometric / CSI | No public biochar-specific price index found analogous to CORCCHAR | Bilateral / broker quotes only |
4. Index vs bilateral offtake pricing
| Dimension | CORCCHAR / spot CORCs | Multi-year offtakes |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency | Public €/t index level | Unit price usually confidential (Historical Deals) |
| Timing | Near-term reported trades | Deliveries over 5–10+ years |
| Risk premium | Reflects current inventory | Embeds construction, feedstock, delivery, FX, offtake optionality |
| Quality add-ons | Standard CORC rules | May add dMRV (Carbonfuture), Forest Monitoring, CCP labels, 1000y modules |
| Fee overlays | Buyer pays retirement €0.25/CORC unless waived | Waivers possible for multi-year offtakes reported in MyPuro (Puro Pricing and CORC Indexes) |
Practical rule: Use CORCCHAR for directional Puro biochar price discovery; use press releases + CDR.fyi for volumes; assume unknown strike prices on megadeals unless a party discloses them.
5. Quality-tier effects (unquantified)
Durable CDR Quality Tiers hypothesizes CCP / 1000-year / delivery premia. As of research date:
- No public table of BCR $/t by registry or CCP label in CDR.fyi abridged posts.
- Verra VM0044 CCP-Approved status (2025-07-24; methodology) may influence RFP eligibility more than observable spot spreads.
- Puro biochar methodology not yet CCP-Approved while program is CCP-Eligible (ICVCM 2025-12-11)—segmentation risk, not a measured €/t delta.
6. Worked comparison (illustrative, not advice)
| Signal | Level | As-of |
|---|---|---|
| CORCCHAR | €135.35 / CORC | Aug 2026 |
| CORCX | €150.40 / CORC | Aug 2026 |
| All-method CDR.fyi WAP | $320 / t | 2024 disclosed orders |
| BCR YoY price change | +18% | 2023→2024 (level unknown in abridged post) |
Currency, method mix, and timing differ—do not convert these into a single “true” BCR price.
7. Gaps
- No public Verra/Isometric/CSI biochar indexes.
- Megadeal strike prices unpublished.
- Limited history tables beyond the rolling Δ columns on Puro’s page (download factsheet/methodology for formal history).
- Intermediary desk quotes not systematically public.
- Interaction of Edition 2025 CORC200+ transition with index composition (monitor Puro methodology notes).
Primary citations
See also
Puro Pricing and CORC Indexes · Puro CORC200+ · Puro.earth Overview · Market Volumes and Pricing · Buyers and Offtakes · Historical Deals · Durable CDR Quality Tiers · Puro vs Other Standards · Market Hub · Key Sources