# How do I calculate the carbon footprint of a roller chain?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/roller-chain-carbon-footprint-per-kg

Chains are mostly steel: multiply the steel strip and wire used per kg of chain by the supplier's figure, then add stamping, heat treatment, assembly and finishing energy per kg made.

## Material

- Steel strip for link plates.
- Steel wire for pins, bushes and rollers.
- Lubricant and packing.

## Process

- Stamping link plates and making pins, bushes and rollers.
- Case hardening and tempering.
- Assembly, pre-stretching and lubrication.

## Per kg

Report per kg, or per metre by chain size.

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

- Electricity: 60,000 kWh x 0.710 = 42,600 kg CO2
- PNG: 5,000 SCM x 2.05 = 10,250 kg CO2
- Kg dispatched: 100,000
- Plant total: 52,850 / 100,000 = 0.528 kg CO2 per kg
- Add steel strip and 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)
- [Sheet metal stamping footprint](https://senseible.earth/answers/sheet-metal-stamping-carbon-footprint-per-kg)
- [Bicycle footprint](https://senseible.earth/answers/bicycle-carbon-footprint-per-unit)
- [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 2026-10-21.