In the inventory analysis stage, software tools and databases are
critical. It is not possible to analyze each individual material and
process from scratch each time an LCA is performed. Instead,
software tools tied to extensive product and process databases are
used to complete the inventory analysis. The simplest software tools
are spreadsheets, in which material quantities can be entered. More
complex tools act more like cost-estimating software, so that
automated tabulation of material quantities from assemblies, on a
square-foot basis, can be completed