Natural gas emission factor 2026 (Australia NGA, kg CO2e per GJ)

The 2026 DCCEEW emission factor for natural gas (natural gas distributed in a pipeline) is 51.53 kg CO2e per GJ (Scope 1, NGA Factors Table 5). With the published energy content of 0.0393 GJ per m3, that is 2.025 kg CO2e per cubic metre. It is unchanged since the 2022 edition.

Updated 19 October 2026 by the Carbon Recycling team. Figures are from the NGA Factors workbooks (2022 to 2026 editions), checked against the published files. Figures per cubic metre are worked out from the published energy content and factor.

Work out your natural gas emissions

GJ in a year

= 77.30 tonnes CO2e in 2026 (Scope 1)

Each GJ × 51.53 kg CO2e, the 2026 NGA Factors (DCCEEW) figure for natural gas distributed in a pipeline.

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Natural gas emission factor by NGA edition (natural gas distributed in a pipeline)

NGA edition	Energy content (GJ per m3)	CO2	CH4	N2O	Scope 1 (kg CO2e per GJ)	Scope 3 (kg CO2e per GJ)	Scope 1 per m3 (kg)	Table
2026	0.0393	51.4	0.1	0.03	51.53	By state	2.025	Table 5
2025	0.0393	51.4	0.1	0.03	51.53	By state	2.025	Table 5
2024	0.0393	51.4	0.1	0.03	51.53	By state	2.025	Table 5
2023	0.0393	51.4	0.1	0.03	51.53	By state	2.025	Table 4
2022	0.0393	51.4	0.1	0.03	51.53	By state	2.025	Table 3

Row as published: "Natural gas distributed in a pipeline" in Table 5 Direct (Scope 1) emission factors for the consumption of gaseous fuels including liquefied natural gas. CO2, CH4 and N2O are in kg CO2e per GJ; Scope 1 is the three added together. Energy content is gross calorific value. The figures have not changed between the 2022 and 2026 editions.

Natural gas in other units

Australian gas bills usually show energy in megajoules (MJ). The Scope 1 factor of 51.53 kg CO2e per GJ is 0.05153 kg CO2e per MJ (divide by 1,000) and 0.1855 kg CO2e per kWh (1 kWh is 0.0036 GJ). Where gas is metered in cubic metres, NGA's energy content of 0.0393 GJ per m3 gives 2.025 kg CO2e per m3.

Scope 3 factors for natural gas by state (2026 edition)

State or territory	Metro (kg CO2e per GJ)	Non-metro (kg CO2e per GJ)
New South Wales and ACT	13.1	14.0
Victoria	4.0	4.0
Queensland	8.8	7.9
South Australia	10.7	10.6
Western Australia	4.1	4.0
Tasmania	Confidential	Confidential
Northern Territory	Confidential	Confidential

From Table 6 Indirect (Scope 3) emission factors for the consumption of natural gas. These cover emissions upstream of your meter (extraction, processing and transmission), not leaks from low pressure distribution networks.

Worked example

Take an office building in Melbourne using 1,500 GJ of gas a year (1,500,000 MJ on the bills). Scope 1: 1,500 GJ × 51.53 kg = 77.3 tonnes CO2e. Scope 3 with the Victorian metro factor: 1,500 GJ × 4.0 kg = 6.0 tonnes CO2e.

How to use it

Natural gas burnt in vehicles, boilers or equipment your business owns or controls is Scope 1. Multiply the energy used, in GJ, by the factor for the year. The NGA factors are per GJ of energy, so for fuel bought by the litre you multiply by the energy content as well (or use the per litre figure above, which already does).

Common mistakes: multiplying litres straight by the per GJ factor (the answer comes out 25 to 40 times too big); mixing up MJ and GJ on gas bills; counting fuel twice when it is in both a fuel card report and expense claims; and leaving out leased vehicles your business runs, which are usually in your Scope 1 under the operational control approach. The Scope 3 factor covers the fuel's supply chain and is reported separately, not added into Scope 1.

Which rules apply: the NGA fuel methods follow Method 1 of the NGER Measurement Determination; companies reporting under NGER take their figures from the Determination itself. Companies reporting under the Australian Sustainability Reporting Standards (AASB S2) disclose Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, and the GHG Protocol treats fuel your business burns as Scope 1. UK companies with Australian sites or vehicles can use these factors for that fuel; for UK fuel use the UK government factors.

Where to find your gas use

Your gas retailer's bills show the energy used in each period in MJ (worked out from the meter reading and a heating value). Add up the bills for your reporting year and divide by 1,000 for GJ. If the site is on a shared meter, ask the landlord for your share.

Related emission factors

Diesel: 70.41 kg CO2e per GJ (2026)
Petrol: 67.62 kg CO2e per GJ (2026)
LPG: 60.6 kg CO2e per GJ (2026)
All Australian emission factors (NGA 2026)
Australia grid average (Ember, every year since 2000)
UK and other emission factors

Source: DCCEEW 2026, Australian National Greenhouse Accounts Factors, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Canberra, August. CC BY 4.0. Earlier editions: DCCEEW 2025, Australian National Greenhouse Accounts Factors, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Canberra. CC BY 4.0. (and the same for each year back to 2022). Carbon Recycling is not connected with or endorsed by DCCEEW; the worked examples and per litre figures are our own arithmetic from the published factors.

Frequently asked questions

What is the NGA emission factor for natural gas per cubic metre?

2.025 kg CO2e per cubic metre (Scope 1): the published energy content of 0.0393 GJ per m3 × 51.53 kg CO2e per GJ. Use it only if your gas is measured in cubic metres; most Australian gas bills give energy in MJ.

What are the NGA Factors?

The National Greenhouse Accounts Factors, often called the NGA factors, are Australia's official default emission factors for organisations working out their own emissions, published every year by DCCEEW. The fuel methods are based on Method 1 of the NGER Measurement Determination.

Are the NGA factors the same as the NGER factors?

DCCEEW says the NGA Factors workbook is not published for reporting under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) scheme, though it draws on the NGER Measurement Determination. If you report under NGER, take your factors from the Determination itself.

Which Scope 3 factor applies to my site?

NGA gives Scope 3 natural gas factors by state, for metro and non-metro sites. Metro means on or east of the dividing range in NSW (including Canberra and Queanbeyan), Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide or Perth. Everywhere else uses non-metro. Tasmania and the Northern Territory are confidential; DCCEEW suggests the Victorian figures for Tasmania and the Western Australian figures for the Northern Territory.

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