🏗️ Embodied Carbon Calculator
Select a building material and enter its quantity by mass to estimate the embodied carbon emitted during its production, based on widely used reference emission factors.
What Is Embodied Carbon?
Embodied carbon is the total greenhouse gas emissions (expressed as CO2 equivalent, or CO2e) released during the extraction, manufacturing, and transport of a building material, before it’s even installed. It’s distinct from operational carbon, which comes from energy used to run a building afterward.
The Formula
This calculator uses the standard approach: Embodied Carbon (kg CO2e) = Material Mass (kg) × Emission Factor (kg CO2e per kg). The emission factors used here are approximate, widely referenced averages (similar in scale to those in the Inventory of Carbon and Energy, ICE, database): concrete ≈ 0.13, steel ≈ 1.46, timber ≈ 0.31, brick ≈ 0.24, aluminum ≈ 8.24, and glass ≈ 0.85 kg CO2e per kg of material.
How to Use the Result
Comparing embodied carbon across material choices can help inform lower-carbon design decisions early in a project. Actual emission factors vary significantly by manufacturing process, region, recycled content, and transport distance, so treat this as a general estimate rather than a certified life-cycle assessment (LCA) figure.
- For general educational and early-stage planning purposes only.
- Use a full life-cycle assessment tool or supplier-specific Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for project-grade figures.