# How do I calculate the carbon footprint of HDPE pipe per kg or per metre?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/hdpe-pipe-carbon-footprint-per-kg

Multiply the resin per metre of pipe by your polymer supplier's per-kg figure. Add the extrusion line's electricity, cooling, printing and coiling, divide plant energy by kg passed, and convert to per metre using the pipe's weight per metre.

## Materials

- PE 80 or PE 100 resin by weight; resin is usually most of the total.
- Black masterbatch and any regrind used.
- End caps, coil straps and labels.

## Process

- Extruder barrel heaters and screw drive.
- Vacuum sizing tank, cooling baths and chiller.
- Haul-off, cutter and coiler.

## Per kg and per metre

Give both, with the pipe's outside diameter and pressure class, since weight per metre rises sharply with both.

## Worked example: HDPE pipe plant per kg (one month)

- Electricity: 180,000 kWh x 0.710 = 127,800 kg CO2
- Kg of pipe passed: 400,000
- Plant total: 127,800 / 400,000 = 0.320 kg CO2 per kg
- Add PE resin and masterbatch 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)
- [PVC pipe footprint per kg](https://senseible.earth/answers/pvc-pipe-carbon-footprint-per-kg)
- [Recycled plastic granules per kg](https://senseible.earth/answers/recycled-plastic-granules-carbon-per-kg)

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.