# How do I calculate the carbon footprint of ACSR conductor?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/acsr-conductor-carbon-footprint-per-tonne

ACSR is aluminium wire stranded around a galvanised steel core. Split the conductor's weight into aluminium and steel, multiply each by its supplier's figure, then add wire drawing and stranding energy per tonne of conductor.

## Material

- Aluminium rod, which carries most of the footprint.
- Galvanised steel core wire.
- Grease and wooden or steel drums.

## Process

- Drawing aluminium rod into wire.
- Stranding aluminium layers over the steel core.
- Testing and winding onto drums.

## Per tonne

Report per tonne or per km by conductor code, since the aluminium to steel ratio differs between sizes. Primary aluminium smelted on coal power carries a high figure, so ask for the rod supplier's own number.

## Worked example: plant energy per tonne (one month)

- Electricity: 120,000 kWh x 0.710 = 85,200 kg CO2
- Tonnes of conductor: 800
- Plant total: 85,200 / 800 = 106.5 kg CO2 per tonne
- Add aluminium rod and steel core 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](https://senseible.earth/calculators/product-carbon-footprint)
- [Aluminium extrusion footprint](https://senseible.earth/answers/aluminium-extrusion-carbon-footprint-per-kg)
- [Steel wire drawing footprint](https://senseible.earth/answers/steel-wire-drawing-carbon-footprint-per-tonne)
- [Copper cable footprint](https://senseible.earth/answers/copper-cable-carbon-footprint-per-km)
- [Aluminium industry](https://senseible.earth/industries/aluminium)

Sources: [GHG Protocol Product Standard](https://ghgprotocol.org/standards), [ISO 14067:2018, Carbon footprint of products (iso.org)](https://www.iso.org), [IPCC 2006 Guidelines, Volume 2 Energy (fuel defaults)](https://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/2006gl/vol2.html), [CEA CO2 Baseline Database, version 21.0](https://cea.nic.in/cdm-co2-baseline-database/?lang=en)

Last reviewed 2026-10-21.