How do I calculate the carbon footprint of a roller chain?
Chains are mostly steel: multiply the steel strip and wire used per kg of chain by the supplier's figure, then add stamping, heat treatment, assembly and finishing energy per kg made.
Material
- Steel strip for link plates.
- Steel wire for pins, bushes and rollers.
- Lubricant and packing.
Process
- Stamping link plates and making pins, bushes and rollers.
- Case hardening and tempering.
- Assembly, pre-stretching and lubrication.
Per kg
Report per kg, or per metre by chain size.
Worked example: plant energy per kg (one month)
- Electricity: 60,000 kWh x 0.710 = 42,600 kg CO2
- PNG: 5,000 SCM x 2.05 = 10,250 kg CO2
- Kg dispatched: 100,000
- Plant total: 52,850 / 100,000 = 0.528 kg CO2 per kg
- Add steel strip and 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
- Sheet metal stamping footprint
- Bicycle footprint
- Automobile 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 2026-10-21.