ISO 14404-3:2024

Overview

ISO 14404-3:2024 - "Calculation method of carbon dioxide emission intensity from iron and steel production - Part 3" provides a standardized method to calculate CO2 emission intensity for steel plants that combine an electric arc furnace (EAF) with on-site direct reduced iron (DRI) facilities (coal‑based or gas‑based). Applicable primarily to plants producing carbon steel, the standard enables calculation of total annual CO2 emissions and the plant-level emission factor of CO2 intensity by defining boundaries, material and energy flows, and relevant emission factors.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Scope and applicability: Targets steel plants using EAF and coal- or gas-based DRI, including on‑site ore agglomeration cases.
• Boundary definition: Clear rules for what emissions and material/energy flows are inside the plant boundary versus upstream/imports.
• Data collection: Requirements for collecting crude steel production data and CO2 sources:
  • direct emissions (on-site)
  • upstream emissions (feedstocks, energy)
  • credit sources (by‑product or exported energy credits)
• Calculation procedure: Stepwise approach to aggregate emissions and compute CO2 intensity per unit of crude steel (net emissions ÷ crude steel production).
• Emission factors: Default and updated emission factors are provided and referenced; users may apply measured carbon content/net calorific values when available for improved accuracy.
• Annexes:
  • Annex A: Conversion to energy consumption and consumption efficiency
  • Annex B: Template examples for emission factor selection
  • Annex C: Worked example for plants without on‑site agglomeration
  • Annex D: Decarbonization strategies and impacts on CO2 calculation methodology
• Principles: Relevance, completeness, consistency, accuracy and transparency in reporting.

Applications and who uses it

ISO 14404-3:2024 is intended for:

• Steel producers operating EAF + DRI facilities who need a standardized plant-level CO2 intensity metric.
• Environmental and sustainability managers preparing corporate GHG inventories or tracking decarbonization progress.
• Regulators and policymakers seeking consistent methods for reporting industrial emissions.
• Auditors and consultants performing verification, benchmarking or improvement planning. Practical uses include annual reporting of plant CO2 emissions, benchmarking across facilities, monitoring the impact of efficiency measures and informing decarbonization investments.

Related standards and guidance

• Part of the ISO 14404 series on CO2 calculation for iron and steel production.
• Builds on worldsteel’s “CO Emissions Data Collection User Guide” (used as the methodological basis).
• See ISO 14404-4 and other parts in the series for methodologies covering different steelmaking configurations.

Keywords: ISO 14404-3:2024, CO2 emission intensity, steel plant, EAF, DRI, emission factor, boundary definition, material and energy flow, decarbonization.