Material Use and Embodied Carbon Intensity of New Construction Buildings in North America

Buildings are a major consumer of raw materials and emitter of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, yet data on their metrics (i.e., material use and embodied carbon, respectively) remain limited. This study investigates the material use intensity (MUI) and embodied carbon intensity (ECI) of new construction commercial and multi-family residential buildings in North America using data from 243 whole-building life cycle assessment (WBLCA) models. The study provides MUI and ECI values, defined in units of mass and embodied carbon per building floor area, across different building typologies, structural systems, and material categorization schemes. The results show high variability in MUI and ECI across buildings, demonstrating the importance of integrating building characteristics and material-level information into material use and embodied carbon data. The study also establishes MUI and ECI by materials and highlights the dominant role of a relatively small subset of categories (i.e., concrete, steel, masonry, insulation, and aluminum) in both metrics. To support broader use of these findings, the study publishes open-access code and an interactive visualization dashboard, enabling policymakers, researchers, and practitioners to refine analyses and improve tailored decision-making.