TOKYO STEEL MANUFACTURING
CO., LTD. started out as a small steel
maker in Tokyo almost 80 years ago. It
has since grown into Japan’s leading
electric-arc-furnace steelmaker withan annual production of several million
tons.
Tokyo Steel prides itself as a recyclerof steel scrap - its primary raw material- letting it protect the environment andthus contribute to society. Recycling ofsteel products with the electric arc
furnace process is truly the mosteffective in terms of achieving a
recycling-based society and lowcarbon society at the same time. To
contribute to Japan’s target of reducing
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by
80% by 2050 while making advanced
use of steel scrap that, in aggregate,
amounts to several decades’ worth ofdomestic steel demand, Tokyo Steelwill work, with strong determination, toprovide even more diverse customers
with a wide range of products.

Square Steel Pipe
Structural Steel

According to ISO 14025
EN15804 and ISO 21930:2017

EPD PROGRAM AND PROGRAM OPERATOR
NAME, ADDRESS, LOGO, AND WEBSITE
GENERAL PROGRAM INSTRUCTIONSAND VERSION NUMBERUL Environment
333 Pfingsten Road Northbrook, IL 60611

MANUFACTURER NAME AND ADDRESSTokyo Steel Manufacturing Co. Ltd.

DECLARATION NUMBER
DECLARED PRODUCT & FUNCTIONAL
UNIT OR DECLARED UNIT

4789249594.102.1

REFERENCE PCR AND VERSION NUMBER

https://www.ul.com/
https://spot.ul.com

General Program Instructions v.2.4 July 2018

Square Steel Pipe Structural Steel, 1 metric ton-

Product Category Rules for Building-Related Products and Services, Part A: Life Cycle
Assessment Calculation Rules and Report Requirements, UL Environment, Standard
10010, Version 3.1
IBU Part B: Requirements on the EPD for Structural steels Version 1.6 November 30 2017
UL Product Category Rules for preparing an environmental product declaration for Part
B: Requirements on the EPD for Structural steels (ADDENDUM, VERSION 1.1,
December, 2017)

DESCRIPTION OF PRODUCT APPLICATION/USE

Structural steel “Square steel pipe” is used in most buildings and civil works, mainly in
structural steel constructions. In addition to the construction sector there are numerous
applications in very diverse sectors.

PRODUCT RSL DESCRIPTION (IF APPL.)The Reference service life is not specified

MARKETS OF APPLICABILITYJapan

DATE OF ISSUE

2021 January 1

PERIOD OF VALIDITY

5 Years

EPD TYPE

Product-Specific

EPD SCOPE

Cradle to gate

YEAR(S) OF REPORTED PRIMARY DATA

April 2017 and March 2018

LCA SOFTWARE & VERSION NUMBER

IDEAv2.1.3 database (2017)

LCI DATABASE(S) & VERSION NUMBER

IDEAv2.1.3 database (2017)

LCIA METHODOLOGY & VERSION NUMBER

LIME2Institut Bauen und Umwelt e.V (IBU)
PCR Review Panel

This PCR review was conducted by:

PCR tested and approved by the SVRThis declaration was independently verified in accordance with ISO 14025: 2006.
□ INTERNAL☐ EXTERNAL
Grant R. Martin, UL Environment
This life cycle assessment was independently verified in accordance with ISO
14044 and the reference PCR by:Thomas P. Gloria, Industrial Ecology Consultants
LIMITATIONS

Exclusions: EPDs do not indicate that any environmental or social performance benchmarks are met, and there may be impacts that they do not encompass. LCAs
do not typically address the site-specific environmental impacts of raw material extraction, nor are they meant to assess human health toxicity. EPDs cancomplement but cannot replace tools and certifications that are designed to address these impacts and/or set performance thresholds – e.g. Type 1 certifications,health assessments and declarations, environmental impact assessments, etc.
Accuracy of Results: EPDs regularly rely on estimations of impacts; the level of accuracy in estimation of effect differs for any particular product line and reported impact.
Comparability: EPDs from different programs may not be comparable. Full conformance with a PCR allows EPD comparability only when all stages of a life cycle
have been considered. However, variations and deviations are possible”. Example of variations: Different LCA software and background LCI datasets may lead todifferences results for upstream or downstream of the life cycle stages declared.

According to ISO 14025
EN 15804 and ISO 21930:2017

Square Steel Pipe
Structural Steel

Product information
Product description
The product declared is structural steel“Square steel pipe, which is classified
as“Floor plates”in the Section 2, Classification of Material of the AISC 303‐
10 Code of Standard Practice for Steel Buildings and Bridges. The production
process used is the Electric Arc Furnace. This route, used by TOKYO STEEL
for the production of structural steel, is based on the direct melting of scrap
with an Electric Arc Furnace, which is subsequently processed in rolling mills
in order to obtain the finished products. The steel section is formed into
structural steel in square pipe shape. No metallic or organic coating.
The product is provided for Japan market and complies with JIS G 3466(Regional designation code: JIS).

Application
Structural steel “Square steel pipe” is used in most buildings and civil works, mainly in structural steel constructions. In
addition to the construction sector there are numerous applications in very diverse sectors.

Technical data
Name

Value

Unit

Density
Modulus of elasticity
Coefficient of thermal expansion
Thermal conductivity
Melting point
Electrical conductivity at 20C
Minimum yield strength
Minimum tensile strength
Minimum elongation
Tensile strength
Compressive strength
Grade of material according to the delivery standards

7,874
2.1
11.7
80.2
1370
1,030
245
400
17
400
235
SN400Bkg/m3
N/mm2
10-6K-1
W/(mK)°C
Ω-1m-1
N/mm2
N/mm2
%
N/mm2
N/mm2
-

According to ISO 14025
EN 15804 and ISO 21930:2017

Square Steel Pipe
Structural Steel

Delivery status
The delivery conditions and dimension may vary according to the intended application.

Base materials / Ancillary materials
Structural steel “Square steel pipe” is a low-alloy steel product. The typical content of carbon is lower than 0.18%. The
share of other elements besides iron is typically below 1%. Steel scrap is a secondary raw material, defined in different
qualities, depending on the composition (Fe content) and certain characteristics (plate, section steel, galvanizedsheets, etc.).
The principal material is Steel and alloying elements are added on the form of ferroalloys and metals.
Any hazardous substances defined in Basel Convention and/or regulated by Japanese laws are not included in raw
materials.

Manufacture
The steel scrap is melted in an electric arc furnace to obtain liquid steel, which is then refined in a ladle furnace withaddition of ferroalloys and metals to obtain the required steel characteristics. The steel is then casted at a continuous
caster to obtain semi-finished products. The semis are then rolled to the desired size.
TOKYO STEEL MFG produces the structural steel “Square steel pipe”.

Factory

TOKYO STEEL MFG
Tahara Plant

Address

2-1-3, Shirahama,Tahara-shi, Aichi 441-3436, Japan

Square Steel Pipe Structural Steel

Manufacturing process flow

According to ISO 14025
EN 15804 and ISO 21930:2017

Square Steel Pipe
Structural Steel

According to ISO 14025
EN 15804 and ISO 21930:2017

Quality Management System
TOKYO STEEL MFG Tahara Plant is certified according to ISO9001 Quality Management System.

Environment and Health during manufacturing
TOKYO STEEL MFG Tahara Plant is certified according to ISO14001 Environment Management System.

Product processing/Installation
Processing and proper use of steel products depends on the application and should be made in accordance withgenerally accepted practices, standards and manufacturers recommendations. National technical regulations apply tothe design and construction of steel structures. They deal with requirements for performance, sustainability, durability
and fire resistance of steel and steel structures.
When handling and using the products, no additional means to protect health are required beyond the usual
occupational safety measures.
No environmental impacts occur when working with or using these products under normal conditions of use. No
special measures are necessary for the protection of the environment.
Residual materials are separated for in-house recycling. The steel scrap can be recycled almost completely.

Packaging
Structural steel “Square steel pipe” is delivered unpacked.

Condition of use
During use no changes in material composition shall occur. Maintenance requirement will depend on specific design
and application.

Environment and health during use
Steel products, under normal conditions of use, do not cause adverse health effects.
If the steel products are used according to their intended use, under normal conditions, there will be no significant
environmental impact to water, air/atmosphere and soil.

Reference service life

Square Steel Pipe
Structural Steel

According to ISO 14025
EN 15804 and ISO 21930:2017

The Reference service life is not specified. This LCA study covers only Module A1 to A3 and there are many different
applications.

Extraordinary effect
Fire: Structural steels are classified as incombustible materials according to Notification No. 1400 by Ministry ofConstruction Japan
Water: Not relevant
Mechanical destruction: Not relevant

Re-use phase
Square steel pipe can be reused after its recovery, in particular when steel constructions are properly designed tofacilitate disassembly and re-use at the end of their useful lives.
Steel is 100% recyclable and scrap can be converted to the same (or higher or lower) quality of steel depending upon
the metallurgy and processing of the recycling route.

Disposal
Due to its high value as a resource, steel scrap is not disposed of, but instead in a well-established cycle fed to reuseor recycling. However, in case of disposal no environmental impacts result.
The disposal pathway in Japan: Recycling (99%), Landfill (1%), Incineration (0%)
Waste code according to Basel convention is
A1010: Metal wastes
And Waste classification according to Japanese national law “Waste Management Law” isIndustrial Waste: 1210 Steel scrap
Industrial Waste shall be collected by a licensed collector.

Further information
Additional information can be obtained from http://www.tokyosteel.co.jp/

Square Steel Pipe
Structural Steel

According to ISO 14025
EN 15804 and ISO 21930:2017

LCA Rules
Declared unit
Name
Declared unit

Value
1

Unit
metric ton

Density

7,874

kg/m3

Conversion factor to 1kg

0.001

-

Thickness

6.0 - 22.0mm

System boundary
BENEFITS
AND LOADSBEYOND THE
SYSTEM
BOUNDARYS

Transport

Manufacturing

Transport from the gate to thesite

Assembly

Use

MaintenanceRepairReplacement

Refurbishment

Operational energy use

Operational water use

De-construction demolition

Transport

Waste processing

DisposalReuse-RecoveryRecycling-potential

END OF LIFE STAGE

Raw material supply

PRODUCT STAGE

CONSTRUCTION PROCESSUSE STAGE
STAGE

A1

A2

A3

A4

A5

B1

B2

B3

B4

B5

B6

B7

C1

C2

C3

C4

D

X

X

X

MND

MND MND MND MND MND MND MND

MND MND MND MND MND

MNDThis is an EPD based on a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment. The selected system boundaries of this study
encompass the following steps:
A1: Production of raw materials and energy
A2: Transport of resources to the production site
A3: Production of the product
Estimates and Assumptions
Regarding the transportation of materials, 80% of steel scraps is collected within 75km of the plant. The distance oftransportation was set as 75km. 20% of steel scrap is transported from San Francisco port to Tokyo port. Assumed
Coal coke would be transported from Melbourne port to Tokyo port because of the largest exporting country Australia.

Square Steel Pipe
Structural Steel

According to ISO 14025
EN 15804 and ISO 21930:2017

Cut-off rules
Regarding the transportation of resources, the transportations of primary materials (Steel scrap, Coal coke, Calciumoxide) have been considered. However, the transportations of other resources (1% of total resources) were ignored.
The impact of this cut-off was reviewed in the section of Interpretation.
Except the above cut-off, all information from the data collection process has been considered, covering all used andregistered materials, thermal energy, electrical energy and diesel consumption.

Background Data
Principally the inventory data include material, energy, auxiliary, water consumption (foreground data). The foregrounddata are derived from the Tahara Plant.
Further, LCA data sets (background data) linked to the foreground data of various stages of the life cycle (cradle togate) were obtained from IDEAv2.1.3 database (2017).
Steel scrap is assumed to reach end of waste following a sorting and shredding process that takes place at demolition
sites or waste processing facilities.

Data quality
All foreground data were collected at Utsunomiya Plant Between April 2017 and March 2018 (One year average data).
Background data were used from IDEAv2.1.3 database (The data version is 2017).

Allocation
The manufacturing process generates by-products, Slag and internal circulation waste. All slag and internal circulation
wastes outputs are input to this main product.
The measured Electricity was for all activities at Tahara plant, including structural steel manufacturing and other officeactivities. However, since electricity for other office activities was less than 1% of total electricity consumption, no
electricity allocation was considered.
Tahara plant produce only Hot Rolled Coil. All resources were allocated to the product Hot Rolled Coil process. Thenadditional electricity to form Square steel pipe was added.

Comparability
Basically, a comparison or an evaluation of EPD data is only possible if all the data sets to be compared were createdaccording to /ISO 21930, EN 15804/ and the building context, respectively the product-specific characteristics ofperformance, are taken into account.

According to ISO 14025
EN 15804 and ISO 21930:2017

Square Steel Pipe
Structural SteelLife Cycle Assessment Results
Square steel pipe
Environment Impact (Assessment Method: LIME2)
Impact Category

Units

A1-A3

Global warming (GWP)

kg-CO2eq

8.02E+02

Acidification (AP)kg-SO2eq

5.95E-01

Eutrophication (EP)kgPO43-eq

4.19E-03

Ozone depletion (ODP)

kg-CFC-11eq

1.90E-06

Photo Chemical Ozone Creation (POCP)

kg-C2H4eq

1.32E-02

Parameter

Units

A1-A3

Renewable primary energy as energy carrier

MJ

2.48E+02

Renewable primary energy resources as material utilization

MJ

1.32E+01

Total use of renewable primary energy resources

MJ

2.61E+02

Nonrenewable primary energy as energy carrier

MJ

2.32E+02

Nonrenewable primary energy as material utilization

MJ

4.18E+01

Total use of nonrenewable primary energy resources

MJ

2.74E+02

Use of secondary materialkg

1.12E+03

Use of renewable secondary fuels

MJ-

Use of nonrenewable secondary fuels

MJ-

Use of net fresh waterm3

6.18E+02

Resource Use

Output Flows and Waste Categories
Parameter

Units

A1-A3

Hazardous waste disposedkg

1.60E+01

Nonhazardous waste disposedkg

9.02E-02

Radioactive waste disposedkg-

Components for reusekg-

Square Steel Pipe
Structural Steel

According to ISO 14025
EN 15804 and ISO 21930:2017
MFR Materials for recyclingkg

2.52E+02

MER Materials for energy recovery

kg-

Exported Energy

MJ-Interpretation
CompletenessRegarding the transportation of resources, the transportations of 1% resources (1% of total resources) were ignored.
The impacts at the A2 transportation stage are below. If average 1% of impact at A2 transportation stage will be
added, 0.02% of GWP, 0.13% of AP and 0.09% of POCP could be increased.

Environment Impact (Assessment Method: LIME2)
Impact Category

Units

A1-A3

A2

A2 impact of total

1% of A2 impact

GWP

kg-CO2eq

8.02E+02

1.57E+01

1.96%

0.02%

AP

kg-SO2eq

5.95E-01

7.94E-02

13.34%

0.13%

EP

kgPO43-eq

4.19E-03

9.08E-14

0.00%

0.00%

ODP

kg-CFC-11eq

1.90E-06

1.03E-10

0.01%

0.00%

POCP

kg-C2H4eq

1.32E-02

1.18E-03

8.94%

0.09%

Sensitivity
Proxies were used for Ferro-chromium, Ferroboron, fluxing lime, Calcium aluminate, Calcium silicon because
appropriate datasets were missing in IDEA database. If 10% of proxies impact will be added, 0.18% of GWP, 1.16% of
ODP, 0.13% of AP and 0.14% of POCP could be increased.
Environment Impact (Assessment Method: LIME2)
Impact Category

Units

A1-A3

Impact of proxies

10% of proxies impact

GWP

kg-CO2eq

7.64E+02

1.80%

0.18%

AP

kg-SO2eq

5.82E-01

1.30%

0.13%

EP

kgPO43-eq

4.19E-03

0.01%

0.00%

ODP

kg-CFC-11eq

1.90E-06

11.60%

1.16%

POCP

kg-C2H4eq

1.23E-02

1.40%

0.14%

Square Steel Pipe
Structural Steel

According to ISO 14025
EN 15804 and ISO 21930:2017

Consistency
All manufacturing data was gathered with the same level of detail and all background data were sourced from IDEA
database selecting most appropriate geography.

Representativeness
There is one factory to produce Structural steel “Square steel pipe ”. So this data can be used as representative.

References•

Institut Bauen und Umwelt e.V., Berlin(pub.)•General Principles for the EPD range of Institut Bauen und Umwelt e.V. (IBU), 2013/04 www.ibuepd.de•

DIN EN /ISO 14025:201110: Environmental labels and declarations - Type III environmental declarations Principles and procedures•

ISO 14040:2006 - Environmental management – Life cycle assessment – Principles and framework•

ISO 14044:2006 - Environmental management – Life cycle assessment – Requirements and guidelines•

ISO 21930:2017 - Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works — Core rules for environmental
product declarations of construction products and services•

EN 15804:201204+A1 2013: Sustainability of construction works - Environmental Product Declarations - Core
rules for the product category of construction products•

ISO 14001:2015 - Environmental management systems -- Requirements with guidance for use•

ISO 9001:2015 - Quality management systems – Requirements•

JIS G 3101: Rolled steels for general structure•

JIG G 3106: Rolled steels for welded structureSquare Steel Pipe
Structural Steel

According to ISO 14025
EN 15804 and ISO 21930:2017•

JIG G 3136: Rolled steels for building structure•

Notification No. 1400 by Ministry of Construction Japan: Classification of incombustible materials•

Product Category Rules for Building-Related Products and Services, Part A: Life Cycle Assessment
Calculation Rules and Report Requirements, UL Environment, Standard 10010, Version 3.1 December 2018•

IBU Part B: Requirements on the EPD for Structural steels Version 1.6 November 2017•

Product Category Rules for preparing an environmental product declaration for Part B: Requirements on the
EPD for Structural steels (ADDENDUM, VERSION 1.1, December, 2017)•

North American Product Category Rulu for Designated Steel Construction Products: SGS Services, Version
1.0. May 2015 Layout guidelines for photos: