Steel sustainability
Verified cradle-to-gate production CO₂ for seven steel products, with the end-of-life recycling credit (Module D) shown separately — never subtracted from the production figure.
Production footprint (cradle-to-gate, A1–A3)
From the worldsteel 2026 LCI (EN 15804+A2, global average, system-expansion allocation), per kg:
| Product | A1–A3 (kg CO₂e/kg) | Module D (separate) |
|---|---|---|
| Hot rolled coil (HRC) | 2.31 | −1.25 |
| Cold rolled coil | 2.53 | −1.28 |
| Plate | 2.26 | −1.16 |
| Rebar | 1.71 | −0.76 |
| Hot-dip galvanised | 2.53 | −1.29 |
| Tinplate | 2.83 | −1.31 |
| Sections | 1.53 | −0.35 |
Module D is reported separately by worldsteel and is not netted into the A1–A3 value. A cradle-to-grave figure would model the system boundary explicitly; adding the credit into production would double-count the recycling benefit.
What changes the footprint
The dominant driver is the production route. Integrated blast-furnace / basic-oxygen (BF-BOF) steel carries far more embodied CO₂ than electric-arc-furnace (EAF) steel made largely from scrap — which is why the more EAF/scrap-heavy products here (rebar 1.71, sections 1.53) sit well below the flat products, and why finishing steps raise it (tinplate 2.83 is highest, from tin coating and finishing). These are global averages; a specific mill's grid mix, scrap share and route can move the number substantially.
Recycling & circularity
Steel is widely recycled — magnetic separation aids collection, and a large EAF/scrap route already exists. The Module D credit above quantifies the modelled end-of-life benefit, but it belongs in a separate life-cycle stage, not in the production number. Rate depends on the collection stream and product.
Transport
Steel is dense and ships as coil, plate, bar and sections; freight mass matters for delivered cost and emissions. Estimate product weights with the steel weight calculator and lane emissions with the freight CO₂ calculator.
Available indicators & policy
The worldsteel profiles also report energy and other indicators; MatQuo surfaces GWP and Module D. Steel is also within scope of the EU CBAM and subject to the EU steel safeguard — see the steel tariff and trade pages.
Methodology & limitations
Boundary: cradle-to-gate (A1–A3), EN 15804+A2, system-expansion allocation with Module D reported separately. Functional unit: 1 tonne (shown here per kg). Global-average product profiles, not a specific supplier EPD.
Related calculators
Sources
worldsteel Life Cycle Inventory (2026 release, 2024 data), EN 15804+A2. Full provenance is shown inside the environmental impact calculator.