How do I calculate the carbon footprint of a precast concrete pole?
A prestressed concrete pole is cement, aggregate and high tensile wire. Multiply each by its supplier figure per pole, then add mixing, casting and curing energy divided by poles cast. Report by length.
Materials
- Cement, sand and coarse aggregate by weight.
- High tensile steel wire for prestressing.
- Admixtures.
Process
- Batching and mixing.
- Stressing the wire and casting in moulds.
- Steam or water curing and handling.
Per pole
Report per pole by length and load class, the way utility tenders specify them.
Worked example: precast concrete pole unit per pole (one month)
- Electricity: 15,000 kWh x 0.710 = 10,650 kg CO2
- Diesel: 2,000 litres x 2.68 = 5,360 kg CO2
- Poles cast: 3,000
- Plant total: 16,010 / 3,000 = 5.337 kg CO2 per pole
- Add cement and steel wire 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.
- Product carbon footprint calculator
- Ready mix concrete footprint
- Steel wire drawing footprint
- Cement industry
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.