A growing body of literature discusses the CO2 emissions of cities. Still, little is known about black carbon (BC), a short-lived warming agent. Identifying the drivers of urban BC emissions is crucial for targeting cleanup efforts. A consumption-based approach enables all emissions to be allocated along the production chain to the product and place of final consumption, whereas a production approach attributes emissions to the place where goods and services are produced. In this study, we calculate the production-based and consumption-based emissions in 2012 in four Chinese megacities: Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Chongqing. The results show that capital formation is the largest contributor, accounting for 37%–69% of consumption-based emissions. Approximately 44% of BC emissions related to goods consumed in Chongqing and more than 60% for Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin occur outside of the city boundary. The large gap between consumption and production-based emissions can be attributed to the great difference in embodied emission intensities. Therefore, collaborative efforts to reduce emission intensity can be effective in mitigating climate change for megacities as either producers or consumers. •We calculate consumption-based black carbon emissions for four Chinese megacities.•Capital formation is the largest contributor to consumption-based emissions.•44%–66% of consumption-based emissions are embodied in imports.•Large net imported emissions are attributable to a relatively lower emission intensity.