# How do I calculate the carbon footprint of gypsum board per square metre?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/gypsum-board-carbon-footprint-per-sq-m

Gypsum board needs heat twice: calcining the gypsum and drying the wet board. Divide the plant's fuel and electricity by square metres made, then add the facing paper and additives with supplier figures.

## Materials

- Natural or FGD gypsum by weight.
- Facing paper on both sides.
- Starch, foam agents and fibre.

## Process

- Calcining gypsum to stucco.
- Mixing and forming the board.
- Drying kiln, cutting and stacking.

## Per sq m

Report per square metre by thickness. FGD gypsum from power plants replaces mined gypsum but the energy steps stay.

## Worked example: gypsum board unit per sq m (one month)

- PNG: 150,000 SCM x 2.05 = 307,500 kg CO2
- Electricity: 80,000 kWh x 0.710 = 56,800 kg CO2
- Board made (sq m): 300,000
- Plant total: 364,300 / 300,000 = 1.214 kg CO2 per sq m
- Add gypsum, paper and additives 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)
- [Fly ash brick footprint](https://senseible.earth/answers/fly-ash-brick-carbon-footprint-per-1000)
- [Ready mix concrete footprint](https://senseible.earth/answers/ready-mix-concrete-carbon-footprint-per-cubic-metre)
- [Construction industry](https://senseible.earth/industries/construction)

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 2026-10-20.