Product Carbon Footprint Worksheet (Cradle-to-Gate, Excel)
Customers in automotive, electronics and construction now ask suppliers for a carbon footprint per part. This worksheet is the working document behind that answer: one row per material, energy or transport input, each multiplied by an emission factor and summed to a cradle-to-gate total.
| Activity or material | Life cycle stage | Quantity per functional unit | Activity unit | Emission factor (kg CO2e per unit) | kg CO2e | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
25.2 | ||||||
14.76 | ||||||
3.15 | ||||||
7.2 | ||||||
0.5 | ||||||
0.54 |
Example factors are illustrative rounded values, not for disclosure. Replace each with a factor from your own supplier data, an LCA database or an environmental product declaration, and record the source and year beside the row.
Feed carbon worksheets from your BOM
Optional: talk through how BOM, routing and utility data could populate customer carbon requests automatically.
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How to use it
Define the functional unit first, such as one assembled pump or one kilogram of machined part. Then list every input to make it, using quantities per unit from the bill of materials, routing energy and freight. Choose the life cycle stage for each row, enter the emission factor, and the worksheet multiplies the two. Add or delete rows freely and export the table to Excel to attach to the customer response.
- Start from the BOM so no material is missed
- Allocate plant energy by machine hours or output
- Include scrap by raising the input quantity
- Keep the factor source and year in a note per row
The method behind it
A product carbon footprint sums activity data times emission factor across the chosen boundary. Cradle-to-gate covers raw material extraction through your factory gate, and is what most B2B requests mean. The structure follows ISO 14067 and the GHG Protocol Product Standard: functional unit, system boundary, data quality and allocation must be stated. Use primary data from suppliers where you can, and secondary database factors where you cannot.
Reading the result
Sort the table by the kg CO2e column. In metal parts the raw material rows usually dominate, so a supplier switch to recycled or low-carbon aluminium or electric arc furnace steel moves the result far more than plant efficiency. If one row is more than half of the total, improve the data quality of that row first because its factor drives the whole answer.
Common mistakes
Frequent errors are leaving out scrap and yield loss, mixing mass and unit-count quantities, applying an average factor to a material with a very different route, and quoting a number without the boundary. Avoid double counting energy already inside a purchased component factor. State the boundary and functional unit next to the total every time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a product carbon footprint?
It is the total greenhouse gas emissions attributable to one unit of product across a defined boundary, expressed in kg CO2e. Cradle-to-gate stops at your factory gate, while cradle-to-grave also includes use and end of life.
Where do I get emission factors?
Prefer supplier-specific data or environmental product declarations. Otherwise use a recognised LCA database or government factor set, and record the name, version and year so the figure is reproducible.
How do I handle scrap?
Count the gross material input needed to make one good unit, including scrap and yield loss, rather than only the net weight of the finished part. Otherwise the footprint is understated.
Can I send this to a customer as is?
Send it as supporting data with the boundary, functional unit, factor sources and any assumptions stated. Some customers also require third-party verification or a specific format, so check their request.
Netray can pull BOM quantities, routings and energy data from your ERP into a worksheet like this so each customer PCF request is a repeatable report instead of a spreadsheet project.
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