How to measure emissions from Mineral

What counts as Mineral

Mineral covers purchased non-metallic mineral products and industrial elements — silicon, graphite, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorous, charcoal and mined or quarried non-metallic products such as sand, aggregate or stone. It's reported under Scope 3 Category 1, typically by weight (tonnes) for solid minerals and by volume (cubic metres) for industrial gases delivered as liquid or compressed gas, since the two are measured differently by suppliers.

Mineral is a narrower category than it might first appear — it's specifically for non-metallic mineral products and elements, distinct from Metal (metallic materials) and Chemicals (formulated chemical products rather than raw elements or mined materials). Industrial gases like nitrogen and oxygen sit here because they're extracted or separated rather than chemically manufactured, and they're measured in cubic metres rather than by weight, unlike most of this category's other entries. Quarrying and mining products — non-metallic mineral aggregate, sand, stone — are tracked with their own subtype, reflecting a different supply chain and unit of measure (sometimes reported in "HCM," a hundred cubic metres unit specific to bulk mineral aggregate) from refined industrial elements like silicon or phosphorous. Because this category covers a genuinely varied set of materials, always match the unit your supplier actually invoices in — weight, volume, or HCM — rather than converting between them yourself.

What activity data you need

Collect the most specific physical unit available. Unit definitions are in Appendix I — Description of Units.

• tonne
• HCM
• m3
• £ Spend
• $ Spend

Which emission scope it falls under

Mineral activity data typically maps to Scope 3 Category 1 under the GHG Protocol. Confirm organisational boundary and ownership before reporting.

Sub-types available in the platform

All 9 sub-types available in the platform.

• Boron
• Charcoal
• Graphite
• Mineral: Non-metallic mineral
• Mining and quarrying product: Non-metallic mineral: UK
• Nitrogen
• Oxygen
• Phosphorous
• Silicon

Common questions

Why are nitrogen and oxygen treated as minerals rather than chemicals?

They're extracted or separated from air rather than chemically synthesised, which is why the taxonomy groups them with mined and refined mineral elements rather than with formulated chemical products like cleaning agents or pesticides.

What's the HCM unit I've seen on some mineral supplier documents?

HCM stands for hundred cubic metres, a bulk volume unit sometimes used for aggregate and quarried mineral products. Use it directly if that's what your supplier reports, rather than converting to tonnes.

Does sand or stone used in construction count as Mineral or Materials?

If it's specifically a non-metallic mineral product — sand, aggregate, quarried stone — use Mineral. Use the general Materials category only for mixed or unidentifiable construction inputs that don't specify a mineral content.

How should I record industrial gas cylinders where I don't know the exact volume?

Ask your gas supplier for delivered volume on the invoice or delivery note — most industrial gas suppliers can provide this even if it isn't printed on every cylinder receipt.

Is charcoal reported here even though it's used as a fuel in some contexts?

As a purchased mineral-adjacent material this sits in Mineral; if you burn charcoal on-site as a fuel, check whether your organisation also needs to capture the associated Scope 1 combustion separately from the purchased-goods entry here.