Work out your coal emissions
= 203.16 tonnes CO2e in 2026 (Scope 1 (stationary combustion))
Each short ton × 2,031.6 kg CO2e, the 2026 GHG Emission Factors Hub figure (Cornerstone) for "Mixed (Commercial Sector)", CO2, CH4 and N2O combined.
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Coal, mixed (commercial sector): emission factor by Hub edition (per short ton)
From Table 1, Stationary Combustion, row "Mixed (Commercial Sector)". The Hub publishes the three gases separately; the kg CO2e column adds them up with the global warming potentials (GWPs) each edition states.
| Edition | kg CO2 | g CH4 | g N2O | GWPs (CH4, N2O) | kg CO2e per short ton | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Cornerstone) | 2,016.0 | 235.0 | 34.00 | 27, 273 | 2,031.6 | 0.0% |
| 2025 (EPA) | 2,016.0 | 235.0 | 34.00 | 28, 265 | 2,031.6 | 0.0% |
| 2024 (EPA) | 2,016.0 | 235.0 | 34.00 | 28, 265 | 2,031.6 | -0.02% |
| 2023 (EPA) | 2,016.0 | 235.0 | 34.00 | 25, 298 | 2,032.0 | – |
The gases per short ton are the same in every edition; the small changes in kg CO2e come only from the GWPs (2023: CH4 25, N2O 298 (IPCC AR4); 2024: CH4 28, N2O 265 (IPCC AR5); 2025: CH4 28, N2O 265 (IPCC AR5); 2026: CH4 27, N2O 273 (IPCC AR6, non-fossil CH4)). Source: US EPA, GHG Emission Factors Hub (2023-2025 editions, public domain) and Emission Factors Hub 2026, Cornerstone Sustainability Data Initiative, CC BY 4.0.
Per mmBtu
| Edition | kg CO2 | g CH4 | g N2O | kg CO2e per mmBtu | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Cornerstone) | 94.27 | 11.00 | 1.600 | 95.00 | 0.0% |
| 2025 (EPA) | 94.27 | 11.00 | 1.600 | 95.00 | 0.0% |
| 2024 (EPA) | 94.27 | 11.00 | 1.600 | 95.00 | -0.02% |
| 2023 (EPA) | 94.27 | 11.00 | 1.600 | 95.02 | – |
Worked example
Take a heating plant burning 100 short tons a year. 100 short tons × 2,031.6 kg CO2e = 203 tonnes CO2e, reported as Scope 1 (stationary combustion). In metric units the factor is 2,239.5 kg CO2e per tonne (one short ton is exactly 0.90718474 tonnes).
How to use it
Multiply the fuel burned in the year by the factor and report it as Scope 1 (stationary combustion). The GHG Protocol Corporate Standard asks for Scope 1 and 2 in every inventory, and large customers collecting supplier data (including under California's SB 253) will expect fuel to be in it.
Mixed (commercial sector) is the Hub's row for coal burned by businesses that do not know the coal's rank. If your supplier tells you the rank (bituminous, sub-bituminous, anthracite or lignite), the Hub has a row for each, and the figures per short ton differ a lot because their heat content does.
Two mistakes come up again and again. First, US gallons are smaller than imperial gallons (3.785 litres against 4.546), so a UK team must not apply these per gallon figures to imperial gallons, or the other way round. Second, these factors cover combustion only. The Hub has no well-to-tank figure for the emissions from extracting, refining and delivering the fuel; if you report those under Scope 3 Category 3, you need a separate source.
UK companies with sites, staff or shipments in the US can use these figures for that activity, and the UK government factors for activity in the UK (see the UK government factor for the same activity). Say in your methodology which set you used for which activity. In Carbon Recycling, every line keeps the factor and source it was worked out with.
Where to find your short ton figure
Supplier invoices or weighbridge tickets, in short tons (2,000 lb). Convert metric tonnes by dividing by 0.90718474.
Who publishes the 2026 figures
The GHG Emission Factors Hub was published by the US EPA's Center for Corporate Climate Leadership every year up to the January 2025 edition, as a US government work in the public domain. The 2026 edition, last updated 26 May 2026, was published by the Cornerstone Sustainability Data Initiative, not by EPA, under a CC BY 4.0 licence (doi:10.5281/zenodo.20403776). It keeps EPA's table layout and its footnotes cite the same sources, such as 40 CFR Part 98 and EPA's Inventory of US Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks. EPA has not endorsed it.
Related emission factors
- Residual fuel oil No. 6: 11.31 kg CO2e per gallon
- Purchased steam and heat: 66.40 kg CO2e per mmBtu
- Kerosene: 10.18 kg CO2e per gallon
- All US fuel, vehicle, travel and freight factors
- US electricity factors by eGRID subregion
- United States grid electricity average (every year since 2000)
- All emission factors