Market note · Market note — October 2026
UCO price today: benchmarks and monthly market note
How used cooking oil prices are quoted (CIF ARA, FOB China, DDP Europe), what moved the UCO market in October 2026, and the public data behind it, with sources and confidence levels.
There is no free official UCO price board. Desks quote against paid assessments — most often UCO CIF ARA in US dollars per tonne for RED-certified oil — then adjust for the lot in front of them. In October 2026, trade press reported UCO CIF ARA at a four-year high on 8 October before European bids eased on 12 October. Treat those headlines as direction, not as your invoice. A real price still depends on FFA, MIU, sulphur, certification, origin, freight, inspection and how fast the buyer can lift.
How UCO prices are quoted
Price reporting agencies publish daily UCO assessments under methodologies you can read on their sites. The numbers themselves are paid; what we publish here is the basis each index covers so two offers can be compared without mixing CIF ARA with FOB China or DDP plant. If a counterpart quotes “market” without naming the index, ask which one — otherwise you are negotiating fog.
| Benchmark | Basis | What it covers | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| UCO CIF ARA | USD per tonne, CIF Amsterdam–Rotterdam–Antwerp, month ahead, EU duty unpaid | RED-certified UCO, 1,000 t lots, FFA max 5%, sulphur max 50 ppm, MIU max 2% | Quantum Commodity Intelligence, daily at 16:30 LondonQuantum Commodity Intelligence — UCO CIF ARA assessment methodology |
| Used cooking oil, CIF ARA | USD per tonne, CIF Amsterdam–Rotterdam–Antwerp | Daily assessment published since April 2012 | FastmarketsFastmarkets — Used cooking oil, CIF ARA, $/tonne (AG-UCO-0010) |
| UCO (ISCC) delivered Western Europe | EUR per tonne, DDP Western Europe | ISCC-certified UCO delivered to plants in Western Europe | The Jacobsen (Fastmarkets)Fastmarkets (The Jacobsen) — Used cooking oil prices |
| UCO China FOB, bulk or flexitank | USD per tonne, FOB vessel China | Chinese export UCO shipped in bulk or in flexitanks | The Jacobsen (Fastmarkets)Fastmarkets (The Jacobsen) — Used cooking oil prices |
Latest public data points
Figures below come from dated public releases or trade-press summaries of customs data. We never paste the paid USD/t print from Quantum or Fastmarkets. Where the press summarises customs flows, confidence is marked medium — useful for direction, not for a contract claim.
| Indicator | Value | Period | Source | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCO CIF ARA, direction | Four-year high reported | 8 October 2026 | Quantum Commodity Intelligence — European feedstocks: UCO CIF ARA at four-year high (8 October 2026) | Medium |
| European UCO bids | Bids reported lower | 12 October 2026 | Quantum Commodity Intelligence — European feedstocks: UCO bids fall (12 October 2026) | Medium |
| China UCO exports | 1,367,468 t, up 36.8% year on year | January–May 2026 | Fastmarkets — China’s May 2026 UCO exports (GACC customs data) | Medium |
| China UCO exports, top destination | United States, 74,505 t of 310,254 t | May 2026 | Fastmarkets — China’s May 2026 UCO exports (GACC customs data) | Medium |
| Extra-EU imports under HS 1518 (mainly UCO) | 231,300 t; Netherlands 61%, Spain 28% | April 2026 | Argus — EU waste oils imports, April 2026 (EU customs data) | Medium |
| UCO used for biofuels in Spain | About 616,000 t | 2024 | ECODES — Biofuels in Spain (March 2026) | Medium |
What is moving the UCO market
- United States: since 1 January 2026, fuel made from imported UCO other than Canadian or Mexican UCO no longer qualifies for the 45Z clean fuel production credit (IRS Notice 2026-53). Chinese customs data still showed the United States as the largest single destination for Chinese UCO in May 2026, so the trade still moves — but US offtakers reprice risk and paperwork when the credit does not apply. Watch how much volume stays in Asia or redirects to Europe after the credit filter bites. IRS Notice 2026-53 — Section 45Z emissions rates · Fastmarkets — China’s May 2026 UCO exports (GACC customs data)
- European Union: Regulation (EU) 2025/2181 requires UCO imported from 19 November 2027 to come from an approved or registered establishment in the country of origin and to travel to an approved plant. That rule sits beside ISCC EU and Union Database duties; it does not replace them. Exporters who only hold informal restaurant self-declarations need to ask their competent authority now whether the collection or aggregation site can be approved or registered in time. Commission Regulation (EU) 2025/2181 — Import of used cooking oil
- Asia: Indonesia has required export allocations and permits for UCO since January 2025 and raised its biodiesel mandate to B50 in July 2026, according to USDA — more domestic pull on palm-route oils, tighter paperwork on UCO exports. Neste’s Singapore refinery, with 2.6 million tonnes of annual renewable diesel and SAF capacity, remains a major regional outlet for documented waste feedstocks from China and Southeast Asia. USDA FAS — Indonesia Biofuels Annual 2026 (ID2026-0033) · Neste — Singapore refinery
- Aviation: ReFuelEU Aviation sets a minimum 2% SAF share at EU airports from 2025 and 6% from 2030, which supports demand for HEFA feedstocks such as UCO. HVO and SAF buyers often share the same waste-oil pool; when aviation mandates tighten, hydrotreating demand competes with UCOME for the cleaner, better-documented lots. Regulation (EU) 2023/2405 — ReFuelEU Aviation
How to turn a benchmark into a price for your lot
Name the same basis as the counterpart: CIF ARA, FOB Chinese port, DDP plant, or DAP inland. Mixing a CIF print with an FOB offer without freight is how desks invent phantom margins.
Adjust for quality against the index specification. Higher FFA or MIU, sulphur above the published max, or missing phosphorus/metals results where the buyer needs them usually mean a discount — agree the differential before you argue about the flat price.
Price certification and origin separately. An ISCC EU lot with clean UDB entries is not the same product as undocumented oil, even if the lab sheet looks similar. From late 2027, EU imports also need the approved-establishment trail.
Add freight, insurance, inspection, financing and expected quantity loss to reach a landed cost per accepted tonne. Our calculator helps you compare two offers on that basis once you enter your own assumptions — it is not a market feed.
This note does not reproduce paid benchmark values and is not a quote. Send the lot (or the buying requirement) to the desk if you need a firm number against a named basis and laycan.
Open the UCO landed-cost calculatorFrequently asked questions
What is the price of used cooking oil per tonne today?
Live USD/t prints sit behind paid subscriptions (Quantum, Fastmarkets, Jacobsen and others). Publicly we can say direction — for example a reported four-year high on CIF ARA in early October 2026, then softer European bids days later — but a contract price still needs your quality, documents, origin, quantity and delivery basis. Ask for a quote on a specific lot or requirement.
Why can certified UCO cost more than virgin vegetable oil?
Waste-based fuels get extra policy support under frameworks such as the EU Renewable Energy Directive and ReFuelEU Aviation, so refiners can pay a premium for certified UCO with a clean chain of custody. The premium moves with mandates, credit rules (including US 45Z treatment of imported UCO), available supply and how hard buyers chase fraud.
CIF ARA versus FOB China — which quote should I use?
Use the basis that matches where risk and freight sit in your deal. CIF ARA is the common European reference for RED-certified oil into northwest Europe. FOB China describes oil sold at the Chinese loading port before ocean freight. Comparing them without adding freight, insurance and quality differentials is how wrong margins appear.
Does this page publish the exact Quantum or Fastmarkets number?
No. Those values are paid content. We describe what each benchmark covers, cite public customs and policy data with confidence labels, and leave live USD/t prints to the agencies or to a negotiated offer from the desk.
How should sellers prepare before asking for a price?
Send origin and monthly or spot tonnes, a recent CoA (FFA, MIU, sulphur as a minimum), loading port, packing (flexitank or bulk), ISCC or other scheme status, and the delivery basis you want. Missing phosphorus or metals results slow HVO/SAF talks; missing establishment plans slow EU 2027-ready talks.
How often is this note updated?
Monthly. Each edition lists sources, dates and a confidence level per data point. Subscribe if you want the next edition by email; the archive keeps the current label visible on this page.
Sources and confidence
- Quantum Commodity Intelligence — UCO CIF ARA assessment methodology · Confidence : High
- Fastmarkets — Used cooking oil, CIF ARA, $/tonne (AG-UCO-0010) · Confidence : High
- Fastmarkets (The Jacobsen) — Used cooking oil prices · Confidence : High
- Quantum Commodity Intelligence — European feedstocks: UCO CIF ARA at four-year high (8 October 2026) · Confidence : Medium
- Quantum Commodity Intelligence — European feedstocks: UCO bids fall (12 October 2026) · Confidence : Medium
- Fastmarkets — China’s May 2026 UCO exports (GACC customs data) · Confidence : Medium
- Argus — EU waste oils imports, April 2026 (EU customs data) · Confidence : Medium
- ECODES — Biofuels in Spain (March 2026) · Confidence : Medium
- IRS Notice 2026-53 — Section 45Z emissions rates · Confidence : High
- Commission Regulation (EU) 2025/2181 — Import of used cooking oil · Confidence : High
- USDA FAS — Indonesia Biofuels Annual 2026 (ID2026-0033) · Confidence : High
- Neste — Singapore refinery · Confidence : High
- Regulation (EU) 2023/2405 — ReFuelEU Aviation · Confidence : High
Market note archive
Earlier monthly editions stay linked here with their original dates and sources so you can see how drivers and public data evolved—snapshots of what was knowable then, not revised history.
- Market note — October 2026 · Current edition