The time, money and effort required to complete an LCA inventory far exceed the available resources in most cases. In an effort to overcome these limitations LCI databases have been and are being developed. However, every specific LCA requires information beyond the abilities of any conceivable database. This paper will present a method for developing inventory data in a hierarchical fashion. At the same time, additional rigor will be infused into the method, so that mass balances are achieved on material inputs and outputs. The use of mass balances counters the common inventory approach of collecting separate input and output flows. The approach will present various resources, calculation and estimation methods for determining inventory data. Included within this method is the LCA procedure of iteration, but here the emphasis is on how quickly reasonable inventory values can be obtained, while obeying laws of mass conservation. One or more examples will be presented with a discussion of resource use and release outputs in addition to the expected impact assessment results as metrics of sustainability.

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