We've talked a bit about the process and non-process energy requirements of a manufactured product. These form part of what is called the embodied energy of the finished product.

Embodied energy is all of the energy consumed in mining or harvesting the natural resources contained in the product, plus the energy needed to manufacture and transport the product to its final destination.

In general, the more highly processed a product is, the higher its embodied energy will be.

Below is a list of some common building materials and the embodied energy of each one - however the items are all jumbled up. The energy is measured in terms of megajoules per kilogram of material produced (Mj/kg).

See if you can match each of the materials to their correct value of embodied energy. Click on the material and then click on the value that you think is correct.

Here's the material with the least embodied energy to help get you started:

Hardwood: 0.5 Mj/kg

The figures above have been taken from the Australian Government website called Your Home. For more information about embodied energy, including a more comprehensive list of building products, go to the Embodied Energy page of the website.