Convert kg SF6 to CO2e
| kg SF₆ | kg CO₂e |
|---|---|
| 0.5 | 12,150 |
| 1 | 24,300 |
| 1.5 | 36,450 |
| 2 | 48,600 |
| 3 | 72,900 |
| 5 | 121,500 |
| 10 | 243,000 |
| 20 | 486,000 |
| 50 | 1,215,000 |
| 100 | 2,430,000 |
Each row uses the same factor as the converter above: 1 kg SF₆ = 24,300 kg CO₂e.
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Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is the most potent greenhouse gas in common industrial use: a single kilogram is equivalent to about 25 tonnes of CO2. It insulates high-voltage electrical switchgear, etches semiconductors and blankets molten magnesium — and because it survives in the atmosphere for roughly a thousand years, even a small leak dominates an inventory. This converter multiplies a mass of SF6 by its live global warming potential from MasterBrain, with a toggle for the AR6 and AR5 assessment values.
To convert SF6 to CO2e, multiply the mass by its GWP-100: 24,300 (IPCC AR6) or 23,500 (AR5). So 1 kg SF6 = 24,300 kg CO2e ≈ 24.3 tonnes CO2e. To reverse, divide the CO2e by the same GWP. SF6 has the highest GWP of any gas in common use.
A high-voltage switchgear fleet loses 0.5 kg of SF6 to leakage in a year. The CO2-equivalent, at the AR6 GWP-100:
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| SF6 leaked | — | 0.5 kg SF6 |
| Apply GWP-100 (AR6) | 0.5 × 24,300 | 12,150 kg CO2e |
That half-kilogram leak equals 12.15 tonnes CO2e — more than a typical UK household’s entire annual carbon footprint, from a leak you could hold in one hand.
How to convert SF6 to CO2e
Carbon-dioxide-equivalent restates the warming impact of any greenhouse gas as the mass of CO2 that would cause the same warming over a chosen time horizon. The multiplier is the gas’s global warming potential. For SF6 the number is enormous because the molecule is an exceptionally strong infrared absorber and is almost inert once released.
The formula
kg CO2e = kg SF6 × GWP-100
The GWP-100 value resolves live from MasterBrain and is shown with its source and vintage beneath the converter. Corporate reporting uses the IPCC AR6 value of 24,300; the previous AR5 value of 23,500 is offered on the toggle for inventories still on that basis.
Converting back: CO2e to SF6
To find the mass of SF6 behind a CO2e figure, divide by the GWP. Because the multiplier is so large, the SF6 mass is tiny: one tonne of CO2e is about 41 grams of SF6. Use the swap control on the converter to reverse direction.
kg SF6 = kg CO2e ÷ 24,300
SF6 to CO2e conversion table
At the AR6 GWP-100 of 24,300. Results are also shown in tonnes, the usual reporting unit at this scale.
| kg SF6 | kg CO2e | t CO2e |
|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | 2,430 | 2.43 |
| 0.5 | 12,150 | 12.15 |
| 1 | 24,300 | 24.3 |
| 2 | 48,600 | 48.6 |
| 5 | 121,500 | 121.5 |
| 10 | 243,000 | 243 |
Why SF6‘s global warming potential is so extreme
No other gas in routine industrial use comes close. Where fossil methane’s GWP-100 is around 30 and even the strong refrigerant R-410A is about 2,300, SF6 sits at 24,300 — so a gram of SF6 matters as much as many kilograms of most other gases.
At a GWP of 24,300, about 41 grams of SF6 is one tonne of CO2e. Switchgear leak rates are quoted as a small percentage of the charge per year, but against this multiplier they can dominate a site’s Scope 1 total. Never round SF6 losses to zero because the mass “looks small” — weigh nameplate charge against measured top-ups (mass-balance) and convert every gram.
Why SF6‘s GWP rises with the time horizon
Unlike methane — whose GWP falls sharply from 20 to 100 years as it breaks down — SF6‘s GWP rises with the horizon: roughly 18,200 over 20 years, 24,300 over 100, and higher still over 500. SF6 survives for around a thousand years, so it keeps trapping heat long after the pulse of CO2 it is compared against has partly faded — the longer the window, the worse it looks relative to CO2. GWP-100 is the standard reporting basis.
What is SF6 and where is it used?
Sulfur hexafluoride is a colourless, non-flammable synthetic gas with excellent electrical-insulating and arc-quenching properties. Its dominant use is as the insulating medium in high- and medium-voltage electrical switchgear across the power grid. Smaller quantities are used in semiconductor manufacturing (plasma etching and chamber cleaning) and as a cover gas in magnesium die-casting. The EU F-gas Regulation is progressively restricting SF6 in new switchgear as fluorine-free alternatives mature.
Which GWP basis should you use?
Use AR6 GWP-100 (24,300) for corporate inventories aligned with the GHG Protocol, CDP and CSRD. Some regulatory regimes still reference earlier assessments — AR5’s 23,500 or AR4’s 22,800 — so match the basis your programme specifies and always disclose which assessment report you used. This converter’s toggle carries the AR6 and AR5 values live from MasterBrain.
Where SF6 is reported
- Scope 1 fugitive emissions — SF6 leakage from owned switchgear and process equipment, converted to CO2e in the corporate inventory.
- EU F-gas Regulation — SF6 is a regulated fluorinated gas, with reporting obligations and phase-down of new equipment.
- IPCC 2006 Guidelines, Volume 3 (IPPU) — the methodology for SF6 emissions from electrical equipment, semiconductors and magnesium.
- GHG Protocol Corporate Standard — requires all seven Kyoto gases, including SF6, reported together in CO2e.
Building a full fluorinated-gas inventory — multiple gases, nameplate charges and mass-balance leak rates — rather than converting a single SF6 figure?
Frequently Asked Questions
Multiply the mass of SF6 by its GWP-100: 24,300 (IPCC AR6) or 23,500 (AR5). For example, 2 kg SF6 × 24,300 = 48,600 kg CO2e, or 48.6 tonnes. To reverse, divide the CO2e by the same GWP.
Its 100-year GWP is 24,300 under IPCC AR6, 23,500 under AR5, and 22,800 under the older AR4 — the highest of any gas in common industrial use. It is that large because SF6 is a very strong infrared absorber and is almost chemically inert, persisting in the atmosphere for around a thousand years.
Two reasons combine: SF6 absorbs infrared radiation very strongly per molecule, and it is extremely stable, so it stays in the atmosphere for roughly a thousand years. A gas that traps a lot of heat and almost never breaks down accumulates enormous warming over time relative to CO2.
Yes, and it rises — roughly 18,200 over 20 years versus 24,300 over 100 years. This is the opposite of short-lived methane, whose GWP falls with the horizon. Because SF6 outlives the reference pulse of CO2, its relative impact grows the longer the window. GWP-100 is the standard reporting basis.
Mostly as the insulating and arc-quenching gas in high- and medium-voltage electrical switchgear on the power grid. It is also used in semiconductor plasma etching and chamber cleaning, and as a cover gas in magnesium die-casting. The EU F-gas Regulation is phasing SF6 out of new switchgear as alternatives mature.
Use AR6 GWP-100 (24,300) for corporate reporting under the GHG Protocol, CDP and CSRD. Some regulatory schemes still reference AR5 (23,500) or AR4 (22,800), so follow the basis your programme requires and disclose which IPCC assessment report you applied.
Divide the CO2e by the GWP-100. Because the GWP is so large, the SF6 mass is small: 1 tonne of CO2e ÷ 24,300 ≈ 0.041 kg, about 41 grams of SF6. Use the swap control on the converter to reverse direction.