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Calcimator

Embodied Carbon Calculator

Calculate A1-A3 embodied carbon (kgCO2e) for your building's structural and envelope materials — concrete, steel, timber, masonry, glass, and insulation.

Inputs

Results

Total Embodied Carbon (kgCO2e)

61,462

Total (metric tons CO2e)61.5
Biogenic Carbon Stored (kgCO2e)0
Net Carbon (kgCO2e)61,462
Carbon Intensity (kgCO2e/kg)0.21
Tree Offset Equivalent70
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter quantities of primary structural materials: Concrete Volume in cubic yards, Structural Steel in tons.
  2. Enter Mass Timber volume in board feet, Masonry Wall Area, Glazing Area, and Insulation Area.
  3. Select the Insulation Type (XPS, EPS, mineral wool, or cellulose) — cellulose has the lowest carbon.
  4. Review Total Embodied Carbon in kgCO2e and metric tons for the A1–A3 life-cycle stages.
  5. Check Biogenic Carbon Stored (timber credit) and Net Carbon to assess the overall material carbon footprint.

How the result changes with Concrete Volume (cubic yards)

Concrete Volume (cubic yards)Total Embodied Carbon (kgCO2e)
10,0002,232,891
35,0007,744,131
65,00014,357,619
90,00019,868,859

What each input means

Concrete Volume (cubic yards)
Total volume of ready-mix concrete (foundations, slabs, columns, walls).
Structural Steel (tons)
Total weight of structural steel in short tons (beams, columns, deck, rebar).
Mass Timber (board feet)
Volume of CLT, glulam, or other mass timber in board feet.
Masonry Wall Area (sq ft)
Total area of 8-inch CMU walls in square feet.
Glazing Area (sq ft)
Total insulated glass unit (IGU) area.
Insulation Area (sq ft)
Total area of insulation coverage (at ~4 inches thick).
Insulation Type (0-3)
0 = XPS (highest carbon), 1 = EPS, 2 = Mineral Wool, 3 = Cellulose (lowest carbon).

What each result means

Total Embodied Carbon (kgCO2e)
Sum of A1-A3 embodied carbon for all specified materials.
Total (metric tons CO2e)
Embodied carbon expressed in metric tons.
Biogenic Carbon Stored (kgCO2e)
CO2 permanently stored in timber products (negative emissions).
Net Carbon (kgCO2e)
Embodied carbon minus biogenic storage credit.
Carbon Intensity (kgCO2e/kg)
Average embodied carbon per kg of material used.
Tree Offset Equivalent
Number of trees needed to absorb this carbon over a 40-year lifespan.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    Concrete Volume (cubic yards) = 150, Structural Steel (tons) = 20, Mass Timber (board feet) = 0, Masonry Wall Area (sq ft) = 0 = 7 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Total Embodied Carbon
    Total Embodied Carbon = concreteCarbon + steelCarbon + timberCarbon + masonryCarbon + glassCarbon + i...
    61462 = 61462
  3. Calculate Total
    Total = totalEmbodiedCarbon / 1000
    61.5 = 61.5
  4. Calculate Biogenic Carbon Stored
    Biogenic Carbon Stored = timberMassKg * 1.8
    0 = 0

Engine last updated . Checked against 2 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators.

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