| Description | Engineered bamboo made by laminating strips with adhesive into straight or curved structural profiles for beams, panels, cladding, ceilings, and furniture. | Engineered wood products made by laminating sawn lumber or veneers into structural elements such as beams, panels, and framing components. | Cement-based composite material primarily used in compression-driven structural systems including slabs, columns, foundations, and walls. | Hot-rolled structural steel used forbeams, columns, and primary framing systems in buildings. | Extruded aluminum products commonly used in facade systems, window framing, and enclosure components. |
| Embodied Carbon* GWP fossil (A1–A3) (kgCO2e/m3) | 810 kgCO2e/m3. Emissions driven mainly by processing and adhesive use rather than raw material extraction. | Glulam 137, CLT 134, LVL 361 kg CO2e/m3. Emissions primarily from harvesting, drying, and milling. | 250–400 kgCO2e/m3 for normal-strength concrete. Emissions dominated by cement production and calcination. | 1,700–2,500 kgCO2e/m3 for typical BF–BOF hot-rolled steel. Emissions driven by iron ore reduction and energy use. | 21,600–32,400 kgCO2e/m3. High-recycled-content: ~2,700–8,100 kgCO2e/m3. Emissions driven by smelting energy. |
| Biogenic Carbon* Storage GWP Bio (Biogenic Carbon Storage) (kgCO2e/m3) | 1,600 kgCO2e/m3 stored through rapid biomass growth and retained in the product during its service life. | 650–1,100 kgCO2e/m3 stored from carbon absorbed during tree growth and retained in wood products. | - | - | - |
| Biodiversity & Ecosystem Impact | Rapid regeneration and permanent root systems can support biodiversity when well managed. Short harvest cycles reduce land pressure, though outcomes depend on plantation practices. | Can support ecosystems if responsibly managed, but long regrowth cycles mean poor forestry or monocultures can drive biodiversity loss without certification. | Relies on extractive processes for aggregates and raw materials, causing habitat loss and landscape disturbance with no regenerative component. | Impacts largely stem from iron ore and coal mining. High recycled content significantly reduces demand for virgin extraction and associated land disturbance. | Primary production causes major land disturbance from bauxite mining. Impacts are greatly reduced when aluminum is produced with high recycled content. |
| Circularity & End of Life | Can be reused or cascaded into lower-grade applications, with potential for energy recovery. Reuse and long-life applications maximize biogenic carbon storage benefits. | Can be reused or repurposed where feasible, with cascading into secondary products or energy recovery at end of life. Long service life supports extended biogenic carbon storage benefits. | Limited reuse potential. Most end-of-life concrete is crushed and downcycled as aggregate, which reduces waste but does not replace cement or retain original structural function. | Highly recyclable with established recovery infrastructure. Reuse and recycling are common end-of-life pathways, though recycling requires energy input and benefits depend on recycled content. | Highly recyclable with strong material value retention. Recycling uses significantly less energy than primary production and is the dominant end-of-life pathway when designed for recovery. |