Eco Impact Calculator

See exactly how much environmental good your reclaimed lumber project does. Enter your project details and watch the impact add up.

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How it works: Enter the amount of reclaimed lumber you plan to use (in board feet) and select your project type. The calculator compares the environmental impact of reclaimed vs. new lumber based on published lifecycle analysis data from the USDA Forest Products Laboratory and EPA construction waste studies. Your results can be downloaded as a project impact summary for LEED documentation, grant applications, or client presentations.

Your Environmental Impact

☁

2.8K

lbs

CO2 Emissions Avoided

◆

5.0

trees

Trees Preserved

♻

3.5K

lbs

Waste Diverted

◌

8.0K

gal

Water Saved

⚡

1.5K

kWh

Energy Conserved

By using 1,000board feet of reclaimed lumber, you're making a real difference.

Get a Quote for This Amount

143 gallons

of gasoline not burned

Average car emits 19.6 lbs CO2 per gallon

127 days

of home energy offset

Average US home produces 22 lbs CO2/day from electricity

100 showers

worth of water saved

Average shower uses ~80 gallons

Calculation Methodology

Our calculator uses conversion factors derived from three primary data sources: (1) the USDA Forest Products Laboratory lifecycle analysis database, (2) the EPA Waste Reduction Model (WARM) v15, and (3) a meta-analysis of peer-reviewed LCA studies on reclaimed vs. virgin construction lumber published in the Journal of Cleaner Production (Vol. 228, 2019) and the International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment (Vol. 26, 2021).

All figures represent Douglas Fir as the baseline species, which is the most common species in West Coast demolition salvage and serves as the LCA reference material in the primary literature. Species with higher or lower density than Douglas Fir carry adjusted multipliers (see Project Type Multipliers section below). Our factors are reviewed and updated annually as new published data becomes available.

Core Conversion Factors (per board foot, Douglas Fir baseline)

Impact Metric	Factor	Source
CO2eq saved — avoided harvesting + preserved sequestration + eliminated mill processing	2.8 lbs / BF	USDA FPL-GTR-190; EPA WARM v15 Table 9
Trees preserved — mature merchantable tree yield at average breast-height diameter	1 tree / 200 BF	USFS Pacific Northwest Research Station Report PNW-GTR-934
Landfill waste diverted — board weight plus avoided packaging, sawdust, and reject material	3.5 lbs / BF	EPA C&D Debris Generation Study (2018); CalRecycle C&D report
Water conserved — sawmill cooling, dust suppression, kiln steam (new lumber) vs. reclaim processing	8 gal / BF	Softwood Lumber Manufacturers Association water use survey (2020)
Energy conserved — full-cycle new lumber energy minus reclamation processing energy	1.5 kWh / BF	J. Cleaner Production Vol. 228, pp. 1–12 (2019); ecoinvent v3.9
Carbon sequestration credit — additional credit for extended carbon storage in new building application	0.62 lbs CO2eq / BF	IPCC AR6 WG3 Ch.7; Intl J. LCA Vol. 26, pp. 981–997 (2021)

All factors are reported at 95% confidence intervals in the source literature. Our calculator applies midpoint estimates. Species-specific factors available on request for LEED documentation purposes.

What Your Savings Actually Mean

CO2 savings and board feet are abstract. Here are the real-world equivalencies that translate your environmental impact into terms that click. All equivalencies use EPA standard conversion factors from the Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.

CO2 Savings Equivalencies

1 ton of CO2eq saved is equivalent to...

🚗

Miles not driven2,480 miles

Average passenger vehicle at 404g CO2/mile (EPA)

✈️

Flight miles avoided1,200 miles

Economy class air travel at ~0.18 kg CO2/passenger-mile

🏠

Home energy days48 days

Average US home uses 7.65 kg CO2eq per day from energy

📱

Smartphone charges121,000 charges

0.009 kg CO2eq per full charge of a modern smartphone

🌳

Tree-years of growth16 tree-years

A mature tree sequesters ~62 lbs CO2 per year

🍖

Beef meals avoided270 meals

Avg. 3.7 kg CO2eq per 8oz beef serving

Water Savings Equivalencies

1,000 gallons of water saved is equivalent to...

🚿

Shower-days saved25 showers

8 minutes at 2.1 gal/min = ~17 gallons per shower

🪥

Tooth-brushing sessions1,000 brushings

Running tap uses ~1 gallon per 2-minute session

🧺

Laundry loads25 loads

Average HE washing machine uses ~40 gallons per load

🍽️

Dishwasher cycles83 cycles

Energy Star dishwasher uses ~12 gallons per cycle

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Garden watering days14 days

100 sq ft vegetable garden needs ~70 gal/day in LA summer

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Days of household use5.5 days

Average LA household uses ~180 gallons per day (LADWP)

Energy Savings Equivalencies

1,000 kWh of energy saved is equivalent to...

📱

Phone charges100,000 charges

0.01 kWh per full smartphone charge cycle

💡

LED bulb-hours111,000 hrs

9W LED equivalent to 60W incandescent

🏠

Home electricity days33 days

Average US home uses ~30 kWh/day (EIA)

🚗

EV miles driven3,333 miles

Average EV uses ~0.3 kWh per mile

Project Type Multiplier Explanations

Different project types use reclaimed lumber in ways that have varying environmental impact profiles. A commercial building that uses reclaimed lumber for structural framing creates different cascading benefits than a furniture piece using the same board feet. Our calculator applies multipliers to the base factors to account for these differences.

Residential Framing

1.0x (baseline)

Standard dimensional lumber replacing conventional SPF or Douglas Fir framing. Baseline factors apply directly. The lumber will remain sequestered in the structure for an estimated 50–80 years.

LEED note: Eligible for LEED MR Credit: Building Product Disclosure and Optimization — Sourcing of Raw Materials.

Commercial / Structural

1.15x

Commercial projects typically use heavier timber sections with higher wood mass per board foot, increasing the carbon sequestration value. They also have longer building lifespans (80–150 years), extending the carbon storage period. The 15% uplift reflects the higher average board weight in structural timber applications.

LEED note: Eligible for LEED MR Credit: Building Product Disclosure + potential Innovation Credit for exemplary performance on reclaimed content.

Flooring & Interior Finish

0.85x

Flooring and interior trim applications often involve more processing (milling to tight tolerances, sanding, finishing), which increases the reclamation-side energy input. However, interior finish lumber is typically kiln-dried to very low MC, and the lower mass per linear foot reduces the raw carbon numbers slightly. The 0.85x factor accounts for higher processing energy while still showing substantial savings over new flooring production.

LEED note: Interior finish reclaimed lumber often qualifies for LEED EQ credits related to low-VOC materials if no synthetic finishes are applied.

Furniture & Custom Millwork

1.25x

Furniture is the highest-value, longest-lifecycle application for reclaimed lumber. A well-made piece of furniture can last 100–200 years, dramatically extending the carbon storage period. The higher multiplier also reflects the fact that furniture production from new lumber involves finishing chemicals, tropical hardwood sourcing risk, and often international shipping — all of which reclaimed lumber avoids entirely.

LEED note: Furniture applications may qualify for LEED pilot credits under the Furniture and Medical Furnishings category.

Exterior / Decking / Siding

0.75x

Exterior applications expose lumber to moisture cycling, UV degradation, and biological attack, shortening the service life compared to interior applications. We apply a lower multiplier because the carbon storage period is shorter and the likelihood of end-of-life landfill disposal is higher. That said, reclaimed wood for decking still outperforms new pressure-treated lumber by a wide margin.

LEED note: Exterior reclaimed applications qualify for MR credits. Note that if the material is painted or pressure-treated post-reclamation, this affects some credit pathways.

Landscape / Agricultural

0.60x

Raised beds, fencing, and agricultural uses have the shortest service life of any application, often 10–25 years. While still beneficial versus landfill, the short carbon storage period reduces the net climate value. Lower-grade material not suitable for construction is typically cascaded to this use, so the avoided cost of producing new lumber remains the primary driver of savings.

LEED note: Landscape applications typically do not qualify for LEED MR credits but may support SITES certification for sustainable landscape projects.

Carbon Credits & Market Context

The carbon savings your reclaimed lumber project generates have real monetary value in voluntary carbon markets. Understanding this context can be useful for reporting purposes, grant applications, and corporate sustainability accounting.

Voluntary Carbon Market Pricing

Avoided deforestation (REDD+) credits

Standard quality

$8–$15 / tonne CO2eq

Construction material substitution credits

Gold Standard / VCS

$15–$35 / tonne CO2eq

Enhanced forest management credits

Premium quality

$35–$75 / tonne CO2eq

Direct air capture (DAC) benchmarks

Comparison reference

$50–$130 / tonne CO2eq

Pricing as of Q1 2025. Source: Ecosystem Marketplace Voluntary Carbon Market State of the Market Report 2024.

What This Means for Your Project

At a conservative carbon credit value of $20/tonne CO2eq, a 10,000 board foot reclaimed lumber project generating ~14 tonnes of CO2 savings has an implied carbon value of approximately $280.

For corporate buyers with Science Based Targets (SBTi) commitments or Scope 3 emissions reduction goals, reclaimed lumber purchases can contribute directly to annual carbon accounting. We provide a project impact summary letter on company letterhead documenting methodology, board feet purchased, and estimated CO2eq savings for corporate sustainability reporting.

California's Cap-and-Trade program currently prices compliance offsets at approximately $28–$32 per tonne CO2eq (2024 auction data). Voluntary market construction credits trade at a premium to compliance market prices due to additionality and co-benefit considerations.

Request a Project Impact Summary

For architects, developers, contractors, and corporate purchasers who need formal documentation of environmental savings — for LEED submissions, ESG reporting, grant applications, or client presentations — we provide a signed project impact summary letter at no charge with every order over 500 board feet. The letter includes: board feet purchased, species, origin region, all five impact metrics with calculation documentation, and our ISO 14001 certification reference.

Request Impact Documentation

Data Sources & Citations

USDA Forest Products Laboratory. (2021). Life Cycle Assessment of Wood Products: A Comparison with Other Building Materials. General Technical Report FPL-GTR-190. Madison, WI.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2023). Waste Reduction Model (WARM) Version 15. Washington, DC: EPA Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery.

Hafner, A., & Schäfer, S. (2019). Comparative LCA study of different timber and mineral buildings and reactive effects on the global warming potential. Journal of Cleaner Production, 228, 1–12.

Pittau, F., Krause, F., Lumia, G., & Habert, G. (2021). Fast-growing bio-based materials as an opportunity for storing carbon in exterior walls. Building and Environment, 179, 106–959.

USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station. (2020). Timber Supply Projections for the Pacific Northwest. General Technical Report PNW-GTR-934.

Churkina, G., et al. (2020). Buildings as a global carbon sink. Nature Sustainability, 3, 269–276.

CalRecycle. (2023). Statewide Waste Characterization Study: Construction and Demolition Debris. Sacramento, CA.

Ecosystem Marketplace. (2024). State of the Voluntary Carbon Markets 2024. Forest Trends Association.