Dry Wood
Reviewed by Afonso Firmo, Co-Founder & Director · Updated 7 July 2026
Dry wood has an emission factor of 19.44 kg CO₂-e per tonne combusted (NGA Factors 2025). Biogenic CO₂ is excluded — calculate Scope 1 CH₄ and N₂O here.
Emission Factor Value
19.44 kg CO₂-e/tonne
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Estimated emissions
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Fuel combustion emissions are reported under Scope 1. Calculated as quantity × 19.44 kg CO₂-e per tonne (16.2 GJ/t × 1.2 kg CO₂-e/GJ CH₄ + N₂O, NGA Factors 2025 Table 4). Biogenic CO₂ is zero-rated and reported separately.
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
Notes
Derived from NGA Factors 2025 Table 4: energy content 16.2 GJ/t × combined Scope 1 emission factor 1.2 kg CO₂-e/GJ = 19.44 kg CO₂-e per tonne. Dry wood is a biomass fuel, so its CO₂ emission factor is zero — biogenic CO₂ is reported separately outside your total — and the 1.2 kg CO₂-e/GJ covers methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) only. No Scope 3 upstream factor is estimated. 1 tonne combusted = 19.44 kg CO₂-e.
Calculation Example
If your facility combusted 2,000 tonnes of dry wood waste during the year:
| Working | Result |
|---|---|
| 2,000 t × 19.44 kg CO₂-e/t = 38,880 kg CO₂-e | 38.88 tonnes CO₂-e (Scope 1) |
Wood waste is the default biomass fuel of Australian timber mills, food processors and district heating projects — and its emission factor is a fraction of any fossil fuel’s. But “a fraction” is not zero, and the accounting treatment trips up more carbon accounting teams than the arithmetic does.
The CO₂ from burning wood is biogenic and zero-rated; what you report in your total is the methane and nitrous oxide. Here is the 2025–26 factor, the formula behind it, and worked examples you can check in a Scope 1 and 2 calculator.
Quick Verdict
Dry wood carries a combined Scope 1 emission factor of 1.2 kg CO₂-e per gigajoule under the NGA Factors 2025. With a default energy content of 16.2 GJ per tonne, each tonne combusted produces 19.44 kg of CO₂-equivalent — roughly 125 times less than bituminous coal. Because wood is a biomass fuel, its CO₂ emission factor is zero (biogenic CO₂ is reported separately, outside your total) and the 1.2 kg CO₂-e/GJ covers methane and nitrous oxide only. The organisation operating the combustion equipment reports these emissions under Scope 1. Values come from Table 4, published by DCCEEW for the 2025–26 reporting year.
How to Calculate Dry Wood Emissions
Emissions (t CO₂-e) = Quantity (t) × Energy content (16.2 GJ/t) × Emission factor (1.2 kg CO₂-e/GJ) ÷ 1,000
Worked Example 1: Timber mill boiler burning 2,000 tonnes
A sawmill burns 2,000 tonnes of dry offcuts and shavings in its kiln boiler. Using the per-tonne factor:
2,000 t × 19.44 kg CO₂-e/t = 38,880 kg CO₂-e
38.88 tonnes CO₂-e (Scope 1)
Worked Example 2: Small biomass boiler burning 150 tonnes
A food processor’s biomass boiler consumes 150 tonnes of dry wood chip.
150 t × 16.2 GJ/t = 2,430 GJ of energy
2,430 GJ × 1.2 kg CO₂-e/GJ = 2,916 kg CO₂-e
2.92 tonnes CO₂-e (Scope 1)
Worked Example 3: Energy-based records of 10,000 GJ
A site meters its biomass energy and records 10,000 GJ from dry wood.
10,000 GJ × 1.2 kg CO₂-e/GJ = 12,000 kg CO₂-e
12 tonnes CO₂-e (Scope 1)
How Dry Wood Compares to Other Solid Fuels
| Fuel | Energy content (GJ/t) | Scope 1 EF (kg CO₂-e/GJ) | kg CO₂-e per tonne |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry wood | 16.2 | 1.2 | 19.44 |
| Green and air-dried wood | 10.4 | 1.2 | 12.48 |
| Bagasse | 9.6 | 1.4 | 13.44 |
| Sulphite lyes (black liquor) | 12.4 | 0.58 | 7.19 |
| Charcoal | 31.1 | 6.3 | 195.93 |
| Biomass, municipal and industrial materials | 12.2 | 1.8 | 21.96 |
| Bituminous coal | 27 | 90.24 | 2,436.48 |
NGER and AASB S2 Reporting
Biomass combustion is reportable under NGER: facilities above the thresholds report the CH₄ and N₂O to the Clean Energy Regulator using this Table 4 factor, and disclose the biogenic CO₂ separately outside the emissions total. The same treatment carries into your AASB S2 climate disclosure, so keep wood fuel records and moisture classifications audit-ready.
Related Emission Factors
Frequently Asked Questions
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.