39,097
gallons of water per item, global average
One item: one mid-size passenger car
The same volume as
🥛
625,559
Glass of Water (8 oz)
🍶
312,780
Water Bottle (16 oz)
About this figure
Producing one mid-size car embeds about 39,000 gallons of water across steel, aluminum, plastics, electronics and assembly. Published estimates range widely, from about 31,701 gallons for direct manufacturing to over 105,669 gallons when the full materials supply chain is counted. Source: automotive manufacturing life-cycle analyses. Figures are global-average total water footprints (green, blue and grey water) per item. They are not California-specific and are on a different basis from the crop sheets, which show California irrigation water applied per serving.
Sources
Global-average water footprints per item: Water Footprint Network (Mekonnen and Hoekstra) for cotton, leather and paper goods, applied to typical item mass; item-specific life-cycle assessments for the smartphone, silicon wafer, desktop computer, car, disposable diaper and bottled water, as named on each sheet.
Figures as of September 10, 2026.
How to cite
Everyday Goods Water Fact Sheet: Mid-Size Car. conciseVerbosity, September 10, 2026. https://api.conciseverbosity.com/water-facts/goods/car.html