Solid Fuels Scope 1 (Direct — fuel combustion)

Coal Briquettes

Reviewed by Afonso Firmo, Co-Founder & Director · Updated 7 July 2026

Coal briquettes have an emission factor of 2,107.90 kg CO₂-e per tonne combusted (NGA Factors 2025). Calculate Scope 1 emissions with worked examples.

Emission Factor Value

2,107.9 kg CO₂-e/tonne

Try it with your own numbers

Quantity combusted Unit

Estimated emissions

—

Fuel combustion emissions are reported under Scope 1. Calculated as quantity × 2,107.90 kg CO₂-e per tonne (22.1 GJ/t × 95.38 kg CO₂-e/GJ, NGA Factors 2025 Table 4).

Official Source & Citation

This emission factor is sourced from the Australian National Greenhouse Accounts Factors 2025 , Table 4 — Solid fuels and certain coal-based products, published by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW).

Citation: DCCEEW (2025). Australian National Greenhouse Accounts Factors 2025. Commonwealth of Australia. Available at: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/climate-change/publications/national-greenhouse-accounts-factors-2025

View official publication ↗

Notes

Derived from NGA Factors 2025 Table 4: energy content 22.1 GJ/t × combined Scope 1 emission factor 95.38 kg CO₂-e/GJ = 2,107.90 kg CO₂-e per tonne. No Scope 3 upstream factor is estimated for coal briquettes in NGA 2025. 1 tonne combusted = 2,107.90 kg CO₂-e.

Calculation Example

If your facility combusted 100 tonnes of coal briquettes during the year:

Working	Result
100 t × 2,107.90 kg CO₂-e/t = 210,790 kg CO₂-e	210.79 tonnes CO₂-e (Scope 1)

Coal briquettes are a niche fuel in modern Australia, but where they persist — legacy industrial boilers, some commercial heating — they still need a defensible line in your Scope 1 inventory. Pressed and dried from brown coal, they carry the highest per-gigajoule factor of any coal product in the National Greenhouse Accounts.

Below is the 2025–26 factor, the NGA formula, and three worked examples you can sanity-check with a Scope 1 and 2 calculator.

Quick Verdict

Coal briquettes carry a combined Scope 1 emission factor of 95.38 kg CO₂-e per gigajoule under the NGA Factors 2025. With an energy content of 22.1 GJ per tonne, each tonne combusted produces 2,107.90 kg of CO₂-equivalent. The organisation burning the briquettes reports these emissions under Scope 1. NGA 2025 does not estimate a Scope 3 upstream factor for this fuel. The values come from Table 4, published by DCCEEW, and apply to the 2025–26 reporting year.

How to Calculate Coal Briquette Emissions

Emissions (t CO₂-e) = Quantity (t) × Energy content (22.1 GJ/t) × Emission factor (95.38 kg CO₂-e/GJ) ÷ 1,000

Worked Example 1: Industrial user burning 100 tonnes

A legacy boiler plant burns 100 tonnes of briquettes across the year. Using the tabled per-tonne factor:

100 t × 2,107.90 kg CO₂-e/t = 210,790 kg CO₂-e

210.79 tonnes CO₂-e (Scope 1)

Worked Example 2: Small commercial site burning 5 tonnes

A commercial facility burns 5 tonnes for winter heating.

5 t × 2,107.90 kg CO₂-e/t = 10,539.5 kg CO₂-e

10.54 tonnes CO₂-e (Scope 1)

Worked Example 3: Energy-based records of 1,000 GJ

A site’s fuel accounting records 1,000 GJ of briquette consumption.

1,000 GJ × 95.38 kg CO₂-e/GJ = 95,380 kg CO₂-e

95.38 tonnes CO₂-e (Scope 1)

How Coal Briquettes Compare to Other Solid Fuels

Fuel	Energy content (GJ/t)	Scope 1 EF (kg CO₂-e/GJ)	kg CO₂-e per tonne
Coal briquettes	22.1	95.38	2,107.90
Brown coal (lignite)	10.2	93.82	956.96
Sub-bituminous coal	21	90.24	1,895.04
Bituminous coal	27	90.24	2,436.48
Coal coke	27	107.23	2,895.21
Dry wood (biomass)	16.2	1.2	19.44

NGER and AASB S2 Reporting

Briquette combustion counts towards NGER thresholds and, for registered reporters, must be submitted to the Clean Energy Regulator using these Table 4 factors. The same Scope 1 tonnes belong in your AASB S2 climate disclosure — keeping fuel invoices and factors in one emission factor control system makes both reports consistent.

Brown Coal (Lignite)

956.96 kg CO₂-e/tonne

Bituminous Coal

2,436.48 kg CO₂-e/tonne

Coal Coke

2,895.21 kg CO₂-e/tonne

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the emission factor for coal briquettes in Australia?

Coal briquettes have a combined Scope 1 emission factor of 95.38 kg CO₂-e per gigajoule. At an energy content of 22.1 GJ per tonne, that works out to 2,107.90 kg CO₂-e per tonne combusted, per Table 4 of the NGA Factors 2025 (DCCEEW).

Which scope covers coal briquette combustion?

Scope 1. Briquettes burned in equipment your organisation owns or controls generate direct emissions. NGA 2025 does not publish a Scope 3 upstream factor for coal briquettes.

How do I calculate briquette emissions using the NGA formula?

E (t CO₂-e) = Q (t) × EC (GJ/t) × EF (kg CO₂-e/GJ) ÷ 1,000. For coal briquettes that is Q × 22.1 × 95.38 ÷ 1,000, or 2,107.90 kg CO₂-e per tonne combusted.

Why do briquettes have a higher per-GJ factor than the coals they are made from?

Briquettes are typically pressed from brown coal, and the densified product carries a combined factor of 95.38 kg CO₂-e/GJ — the highest per-GJ value of the coal products in Table 4. Drying and binding concentrate the fuel but do not remove its carbon.

How do I measure the quantity of briquettes combusted?

Purchase invoices are usually sufficient because briquettes are sold by weight; reconcile against stock on hand at period end. If your records are in gigajoules, convert at 22.1 GJ per tonne.

How do coal briquettes compare with raw brown coal?

Per tonne, briquettes emit far more (2,107.90 vs 956.96 kg CO₂-e) because pressing and drying more than doubles the energy per tonne (22.1 vs 10.2 GJ/t). Per gigajoule they are also slightly worse: 95.38 vs 93.82 kg CO₂-e/GJ.

Do briquette emissions need to be reported under NGER and AASB S2?

Yes, if your organisation meets the thresholds. NGER reporting to the Clean Energy Regulator uses these Table 4 factors, and AASB S2 requires the same Scope 1 emissions in your climate disclosure.

Where does this emission factor come from?

From Table 4 (solid fuels and certain coal-based products) of the Australian National Greenhouse Accounts Factors 2025, published by DCCEEW for the 2025–26 reporting year.

Disclaimer

This page is provided for general information, not professional or compliance advice. The factor shown is reproduced from the official publication cited above, and while we work to keep it current, government factors change — the publication is always the authoritative source.

Before using this value in any formal reporting — including under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007 — confirm it against the current official publication and the methods specified by the Clean Energy Regulator.
NetNada is independent of the Australian Government, DCCEEW, and the Clean Energy Regulator. Government data is Crown copyright, Commonwealth of Australia.

Back to all emission factors