Energy & Sustainability worked example

Carbon Credit Cost at 72% coverage percentage: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop coverage percentage to 72%, then walk the calculation through step by step. Estimate carbon credit or offset purchase cost from emissions quantity, credit price, coverage share, and transaction cost.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Emissions to offset: 1,800 metric tons CO2e (held at the documented default)
  • Credit or offset price: 22 $ / metric ton CO2e (held at the documented default)
  • Coverage percentage: 72 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 100)
  • Broker, registry, and retirement fees: 3,500 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Variable carbon credit cost = emissions to offset × credit or offset price × coverage percentage.
  • Total carbon credit or offset cost works out to 32,012 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Credit cost per metric ton CO2e works out to 17.78 $ / metric ton CO2e at these inputs.
  • Variable carbon credit cost works out to 28,512 $ at these inputs.
  • Broker, registry, and retirement fees works out to 3,500 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where coverage percentage sits at 100% and the headline result is 43,100 $, this scenario comes in 25.73% below the baseline at 32,012 $.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to coverage percentage, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. It assumes a single blended credit price; in practice a portfolio mixes nature-based and engineered removals at very different prices, so a single weighted price hides quality and durability differences.

Results at a glance

  • Total carbon credit or offset cost: 32,012 $ (headline result)
  • Credit cost per metric ton CO2e: 17.78 $ / metric ton CO2e
  • Variable carbon credit cost: 28,512 $
  • Broker, registry, and retirement fees: 3,500 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Carbon Credit Cost calculator, set coverage percentage to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.