Carbon Credit Revenue Calculator

Work out carbon credit revenue instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Carbon Credit Revenue Calculator

Credits issued are verified reductions less a buffer pool deduction, which covers reversal risk in land-based projects. Net revenue subtracts validation, verification, monitoring and registry costs, which are largely fixed — so small projects often cannot reach the break-even credit price at all.

Formulas

Credit revenue

Credits issued = reductions x (1 - buffer %); net revenue = credits x price - verification cost

Break-even

Break-even price = verification cost / credits issued

Worked example

With the default values below, Carbon Credit Revenue Calculator returns Net Carbon Credit Revenue of -$390,000.00. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Emissions Reducedminimum 0 tCO2e/year: 50,000 tCO2e/year
Credit Priceminimum 0 per tCO2e: 12 per tCO2e
Verification And Registry Costminimum 0 per year: 900,000 per year
Buffer Pool Deductionaccepts 0–50 %: 15 %

Results

Net Carbon Credit Revenue: -$390,000.00
Credits Issued: 42,500.0
Gross Credit Revenue: $510,000.00
Break-Even Credit Price: $21.176

Step by step

1Values used
2Credit revenue
3Break-even
4Net Carbon Credit Revenue= -390,000.00
5Credits Issued= 42,500.0
6Gross Credit Revenue= 510,000.00
7Break-Even Credit Price= 21.176

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 3 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
Carbon credit eligibility, additionality and verification requirements are set by the applicable standard and host country rules. Corresponding adjustment obligations may apply to international transfers.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Carbon credit eligibility, additionality and verification requirements are set by the applicable standard and host country rules. Corresponding adjustment obligations may apply to international transfers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is there a buffer pool?

Sequestration in forests and soils can be reversed by fire, disease or land use change. A buffer of 10-25% of credits is withheld as insurance against those reversals.

What makes a credit high quality?

Demonstrable additionality, a conservative baseline, accurate and independently verified monitoring, permanence, and no leakage or double counting. Price differences between credit types largely reflect these attributes.