Solid Fuels Scope 1 (Direct — fuel combustion)

Truck and Off-Road Tyres (Combusted for Energy)

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

Truck and off-road tyres combusted for energy have an emission factor of 1,521.12 kg CO₂-e per tonne (NGA Factors 2025). Calculate Scope 1 emissions.

Emission Factor Value

1,521.12 kg CO₂-e/tonne

Try it with your own numbers

Quantity combusted Unit

Estimated emissions

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Fuel combustion emissions are reported under Scope 1. Calculated as quantity × 1,521.12 kg CO₂-e per tonne (27.1 GJ/t × 56.13 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 27.1 GJ/t × combined Scope 1 emission factor 56.13 kg CO₂-e/GJ ≈ 1,521.12 kg CO₂-e per tonne. Applies to truck and off-road tyres recycled and combusted for heat or electricity. The higher natural-rubber share of truck tyres means more of the carbon is biogenic, so the per-GJ factor sits below passenger car tyres. No Scope 3 upstream factor is estimated. 1 tonne combusted = 1,521.12 kg CO₂-e.

Calculation Example

If your facility combusted 250 tonnes of truck and off-road tyres during the year:

Working	Result
250 t × 1,521.12 kg CO₂-e/t = 380,280 kg CO₂-e	380.28 tonnes CO₂-e (Scope 1)

Truck and off-road tyres are the heavyweight cousins of tyre-derived fuel — bigger casings, more natural rubber, and a meaningfully different emission factor from passenger tyres. If your kiln or boiler burns them, the fossil fraction of every tonne lands in your Scope 1 inventory.

Because natural rubber is biogenic carbon, truck tyres carry the lowest per-gigajoule factor of any fossil-classified solid fuel in the NGA tables. Here is the 2025–26 factor with worked examples you can reproduce in a Scope 1 and 2 calculator.

Quick Verdict

Truck and off-road tyres recycled and combusted for heat or electricity carry a combined Scope 1 emission factor of 56.13 kg CO₂-e per gigajoule under the NGA Factors 2025. With an energy content of 27.1 GJ per tonne, each tonne combusted produces 1,521.12 kg of CO₂-equivalent. The facility operating the combustion plant reports these emissions under Scope 1. The factor sits below passenger car tyres (63.03 kg CO₂-e/GJ) because truck tyres carry a higher share of biogenic natural rubber. Values come from Table 4, published by DCCEEW for the 2025–26 reporting year.

How to Calculate Truck and Off-Road Tyre Emissions

Emissions (t CO₂-e) = Quantity (t) × Energy content (27.1 GJ/t) × Emission factor (56.13 kg CO₂-e/GJ) ÷ 1,000

Worked Example 1: Cement kiln burning 800 tonnes

A cement plant substitutes 800 tonnes of shredded truck tyres for coal. Using the per-tonne factor:

800 t × 1,521.12 kg CO₂-e/t = 1,216,896 kg CO₂-e

1,216.9 tonnes CO₂-e (Scope 1)

Worked Example 2: Co-firing trial of 250 tonnes

An industrial boiler co-fires 250 tonnes of truck and off-road tyre feedstock.

250 t × 1,521.12 kg CO₂-e/t = 380,280 kg CO₂-e

380.28 tonnes CO₂-e (Scope 1)

Worked Example 3: Energy-based records of 5,000 GJ

A site’s fuel accounting attributes 5,000 GJ to truck-tyre feedstock.

5,000 GJ × 56.13 kg CO₂-e/GJ = 280,650 kg CO₂-e

280.65 tonnes CO₂-e (Scope 1)

How Truck and Off-Road Tyres Compare to Other Solid Fuels

Fuel	Energy content (GJ/t)	Scope 1 EF (kg CO₂-e/GJ)	kg CO₂-e per tonne
Truck and off-road tyres	27.1	56.13	1,521.12
Passenger car tyres	32	63.03	2,016.96
Recycled fossil-derived industrial materials	26.3	81.83	2,152.13
Non-biomass municipal materials	10.5	88.9	933.45
Bituminous coal	27	90.24	2,436.48
Biomass, municipal and industrial materials	12.2	1.8	21.96

NGER and AASB S2 Reporting

Tyre-derived fuel is a reportable Scope 1 source under NGER: facilities above the thresholds submit combustion emissions to the Clean Energy Regulator using this Table 4 factor, keeping truck and passenger tyre streams separate. The same tonnes carry into your AASB S2 climate disclosure, where an activity-based emissions calculator keeps feedstock records and factors aligned.

Passenger Car Tyres

2,016.96 kg CO₂-e/tonne

Recycled Fossil Materials

2,152.13 kg CO₂-e/tonne

Non-Biomass Municipal Materials

933.45 kg CO₂-e/tonne

Bituminous Coal

2,436.48 kg CO₂-e/tonne

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the emission factor for combusting truck and off-road tyres in Australia?

Truck and off-road tyres recycled and combusted for heat or electricity carry a combined Scope 1 emission factor of 56.13 kg CO₂-e per gigajoule. At an energy content of 27.1 GJ per tonne, that works out to 1,521.12 kg CO₂-e per tonne combusted (NGA Factors 2025, Table 4, DCCEEW).

Which scope covers truck tyre-derived fuel emissions?

Scope 1. The facility burning the tyres — typically a cement kiln or energy-from-waste plant — reports the combustion emissions as direct emissions. NGA 2025 does not estimate a Scope 3 upstream factor for tyre-derived fuel.

Why is the truck tyre factor lower than the passenger car tyre factor?

Truck and off-road tyres contain a higher share of natural rubber, which is biogenic carbon and excluded from fossil CO₂ reporting. That pushes the factor down to 56.13 kg CO₂-e/GJ versus 63.03 for passenger car tyres, and 1,521.12 versus 2,016.96 kg CO₂-e per tonne.

How do I calculate emissions using the NGA formula?

E (t CO₂-e) = Q (t) × EC (GJ/t) × EF (kg CO₂-e/GJ) ÷ 1,000. For truck and off-road tyres that is Q × 27.1 × 56.13 ÷ 1,000, or 1,521.12 kg CO₂-e for every tonne combusted.

How do I measure the quantity of tyres combusted?

Weighbridge records for tyre-derived fuel deliveries are the standard evidence, reconciled against stockpile movements. If your fuel accounting is kept in gigajoules, convert at 27.1 GJ per tonne.

What if my feedstock mixes truck and passenger tyres?

Apportion the tonnage by tyre type and apply each factor to its share, because the factors differ by around 25 per cent per tonne. Where the split cannot be evidenced, document a defensible estimation method and apply it consistently.

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

Yes. Facilities above NGER thresholds report tyre-derived fuel combustion to the Clean Energy Regulator using this factor, 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.

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