How do I calculate the carbon footprint of copper tube per kg?
Most of copper tube's footprint is its metal: multiply the copper cathode, rod or scrap per kg of tube by the supplier's figure, then add melting or extrusion, drawing and annealing energy. Divide the plant's energy by kg of tube dispatched.
Metal
- Copper cathode, rod or scrap by weight.
- Yield loss from melting, drawing and trimming.
- Scrap returned to melting.
Process
- Melting and casting, or buying in hollow billets.
- Extrusion or piercing, then drawing.
- Bright annealing and coiling.
Per kg
Report per kg of tube by type: level wound coils, straight lengths or inner grooved tube. Name the share of recycled copper.
Worked example: copper tube unit per kg (one month)
- Electricity: 150,000 kWh x 0.710 = 106,500 kg CO2
- PNG: 30,000 SCM x 2.05 = 61,500 kg CO2
- Kg dispatched: 500,000
- Plant total: 168,000 / 500,000 = 0.336 kg CO2 per kg
- Add copper metal for the full figure
Inputs are illustrative; use your own bills and production records.
What Senseible does here
Senseible reads the plant's electricity bills (CEA grid factor 0.710 kg CO2 per kWh, CO2 Baseline Database version 21.0) and fuel invoices (IPCC 2006 defaults) into a fingerprinted Scope 1 and 2 record, the plant-level input to a per-unit figure. Bought-in materials go to the supplier evidence trail; product reports are self-declared drafts.
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Sources: GHG Protocol Product Standard, ISO 14067:2018, Carbon footprint of products (iso.org), IPCC 2006 Guidelines, Volume 2 Energy (fuel defaults), CEA CO2 Baseline Database, version 21.0
Last reviewed 2026-10-20.