# How do I calculate emissions from courier and express parcel shipments using courier invoices?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/courier-shipment-emissions-from-invoices

For each shipment on the courier invoice, multiply actual weight in tonnes by the distance and by a factor for the mode: road for surface services, air for express and international. Use the courier's own figures instead if they state the method, such as ISO 14083 or the GLEC Framework.

## What to take from a courier invoice

- Airway bill number and date, to match each line.
- Actual weight. Couriers often charge on volumetric weight (length x width x height divided by a divisor such as 5,000); emissions use actual weight.
- Origin and destination pin codes or the zone, for distance.
- Service type: surface, air express or international priority, which tells you the mode.

## Distance for each mode

For domestic surface parcels, use road distance between the two cities. Parcels go through hubs, so the real route is longer than the direct road; ISO 14083 and GLEC allow a distance adjustment, which you should note. For air services, use great-circle distance between the airports and add the road legs at each end. If the invoice gives only a zone, use a typical distance for that zone and label it.

## Factors

Parcels travel in vans and small trucks that carry less per trip than full truckloads, and express parcels often fly. Per tonne-km, air is far higher than road. Take factors from one named source for each mode and use the same source all year.

## Which category

Courier shipments you pay for, inbound or outbound, are Scope 3 Category 4. Shipments your customer pays the courier for directly are Category 9. Samples sent to buyers are still your Category 4 if you pay.

## Worked example: one month of courier invoices

- Domestic surface: 1,200 parcels x 2 kg actual = 2.4 t; average 900 km
- 2.4 x 900 = 2,160 tonne-km x 0.10 kg CO2e per tonne-km (illustrative road factor) = 216 kg CO2e
- International air samples: 150 parcels x 3 kg = 0.45 t; Delhi to Frankfurt about 6,100 km great-circle
- 0.45 x 6,100 = 2,745 tonne-km x 1.0 kg CO2e per tonne-km (illustrative air factor) = 2,745 kg CO2e
- Total: about 2.96 t CO2e, of which over 90% from the air samples

Both factors are placeholders for the arithmetic. Use factors from your chosen source, with its edition.

## What Senseible does here

Senseible reads courier and freight invoices into the Scope 3 trail, and a line gets a figure when weight, distance and mode are on the document; otherwise it shows Needs Data. The logistics calculator applies default intensities per tonne-km by mode, and a carrier's own factor is used as given.

- [Emissions from a freight bill](https://senseible.earth/answers/how-to-calculate-emissions-from-a-freight-bill)
- [Freight bill with no weight or distance](https://senseible.earth/answers/freight-bill-has-no-weight-or-distance)
- [Air vs sea freight for exports](https://senseible.earth/answers/air-vs-sea-freight-emissions-export)
- [Logistics emissions calculator](https://senseible.earth/calculators/logistics-emissions)

Sources: [Smart Freight Centre, GLEC Framework v3.0 (2023)](https://www.smartfreightcentre.org/en/our-programs/emissions-accounting/global-logistics-emissions-council/), [ISO 14083:2023, Quantification and reporting of GHG emissions arising from transport chain operations (iso.org)](https://www.iso.org), [GHG Protocol Scope 3 Standard (2011), Categories 4 and 9](https://ghgprotocol.org/corporate-value-chain-scope-3-standard)

Last reviewed 2026-10-18.