# How do I calculate the carbon footprint of a vehicle radiator?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/radiator-carbon-footprint-per-unit

Weigh the aluminium or copper-brass core and the plastic or metal tanks per radiator and multiply by supplier figures. Add brazing or soldering, assembly and leak testing energy, then divide by radiators passed.

## Material

- Aluminium tubes and fins, or copper and brass.
- Plastic or metal tanks.
- Gaskets and fittings.

## Process

- Fin forming and core assembly.
- Brazing furnace.
- Tank crimping and leak testing.

## Per unit

Report per radiator by vehicle type and core material.

## Worked example: radiator unit per unit (one month)

- Electricity: 40,000 kWh x 0.710 = 28,400 kg CO2
- PNG: 5,000 SCM x 2.05 = 10,250 kg CO2
- Units produced: 20,000
- Plant total: 38,650 / 20,000 = 1.933 kg CO2 per unit
- Add metals and tanks 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)
- [Brass component footprint](https://senseible.earth/answers/brass-component-carbon-footprint-per-kg)
- [Automobile industry](https://senseible.earth/industries/automobile)

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.