Work out your general cargo ship freight emissions
= 13.21 tonnes CO2e in 2026 (Scope 3)
Each tonne km × 0.013210 kg CO2e, the 2026 UK government (DESNZ) factor.
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General cargo ship freight emission factor by year
| Year | Scope 3 (kg CO2e per tonne km) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0.013210 | 0.0% |
| 2025 | 0.013210 | 0.0% |
| 2024 | 0.013210 | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.013213 | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 0.013232 | 0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.013232 | 0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.013232 | 0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.013232 | – |
Total kg CO2e for the seven greenhouse gases, from the official DESNZ files for each year. 2026 factor ID: 27_320_3228_14_1. Where a factor jumps sharply between two years, it is usually because DESNZ changed its method or data source, not because the activity itself changed.
Worked example
Take 100 tonnes of goods shipped 10,000 km on a general cargo vessel. 1,000,000 tonne km × 0.013210 kg CO2e = 13.21 tonnes CO2e, reported as Scope 3, category 4 (upstream transportation and distribution).
How to report it
General cargo ships carry goods that are not in containers, such as steel, timber or machinery. If your goods travel in containers, use the container ship factor.
Where the data comes from
You'll usually find it in your freight forwarder's records: weight and route. Keep the source documents: anyone checking your Carbon Reduction Plan or SECR report may ask how each figure was worked out.
Read more about how the factors change each year in our guide to the 2026 conversion factors, or see how we apply them in our methodology.
Related emission factors
- Container ship freight: 0.016120 kg CO2e per tonne km
- Long-haul air freight: 0.89939 kg CO2e per tonne km
- Average HGV (road freight): 0.10356 kg CO2e per tonne km
- All UK emission factors