How do I calculate the carbon footprint of a shock absorber?
Weigh the steel tubes, rod, spring, oil and seals per shock absorber and multiply by supplier figures. Add machining, plating, welding, assembly and painting energy, then divide the plant's energy by units made.
Material
- Steel tubes and chrome-plated piston rod.
- Coil spring for spring-loaded units.
- Oil, valves, seals and bushes.
Process
- Tube forming and welding.
- Rod machining and chrome plating.
- Assembly, oil filling, testing and painting.
Per unit
Report per unit by vehicle type and weight.
Worked example: plant energy per unit (one month)
- Electricity: 100,000 kWh x 0.710 = 71,000 kg CO2
- Units made: 100,000
- Plant total: 71,000 / 100,000 = 0.710 kg CO2 per unit
- Add steel, spring and oil 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
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- Hydraulic cylinder 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.