Krueger HVAC: Portfolio and the EPD Opportunity

Who Krueger is and what they actually sell

Krueger focuses on air distribution. The core lines span ceiling diffusers, linear slot and plaque diffusers, grilles and registers, terminal units, fan and blower coils, chilled beams, displacement ventilation, underfloor products, critical room systems, and accessories. It is not a niche maker. It is a catalog brand that shows up from offices to education and healthcare, which is why it appears on so many design schedules.

How broad is the range

Across those families, Krueger offers products in multiple shapes, sizes, face styles, and control options. That adds up to hundreds of SKUs when options are included. In practice, engineers lean on its selection tools to size VAV boxes, pick throw patterns, and check sound.

EPD coverage today

As of December 18, 2025, we could not locate publicly registered, product‑specific EPDs for Krueger’s mainstream air distribution lines. Their site does host a sustainability‑oriented section and guidance for green design, which is helpful, but it is not the same as a third‑party verified, product‑specific Type III EPD (Krueger “Designing & Building Green”). LEED still recognizes product‑specific Type III EPDs in its Materials credits, with added weight for externally verified declarations (USGBC Credit Library, 2024).

Why this matters on specs right now

LEED v5 puts embodied carbon and materials disclosure closer to the front of the line. Owners and design teams are prioritizing products that “count” toward disclosure tallies so documentation does not stall late in design (USGBC, 2025). Separate from LEED, the broader HVAC market has begun publishing EPDs for select equipment, underscored by recent announcements from major brands on the residential side that signal a rising baseline for transparency in HVAC more generally (Carrier, 2025).

Likely best‑seller without an EPD, and who wins when it is missing

A square plaque ceiling diffuser is a staple on many Krueger schedules. If a model like the VPQ is specified without an EPD, a project team that is counting disclosures may swap to a comparable diffuser from manufacturers that already publish EPDs for ceiling diffusers or related terminal components. European peers such as Swegon and TROX publish product EPDs covering ceiling diffusers, plenum boxes, VAV or volume flow devices, and silencers. In an EPD‑aware spec, that can be the nudge that moves a line item. It is definately avoidable.

Competitive set you will see on the same projects

Krueger most often competes with Titus, Price Industries, Nailor, Metalaire, and Greenheck or Ruskin for louvers and dampers that sit on the same schedules. In healthcare and labs, TROX also appears, particularly for specialty terminals and cleanroom components. For office and education, the day‑to‑day battles are with Titus and Price on diffusers and terminal units, and with Greenheck or Ruskin on exterior air control.

Where EPDs already exist in this category

Several European air distribution portfolios publish EPDs that map closely to North American diffusers, grilles, and terminal devices. Examples include ceiling diffusers, plenum boxes, circular and rectangular VAV units, and flow limiters. That does not make those products greener by default. It does make them immediately countable toward disclosure goals, which is the practical hurdle on many projects.

Fastest path for Krueger to close the gap

We typically suggest a staged approach that aligns with how buyers count and how sales teams sell.

• Start with high‑volume families that appear on nearly every schedule, such as square plaque diffusers, linear slot diffusers, and single‑duct or fan‑powered terminal units. One EPD per family can unlock many variants if the bill of materials is structured cleanly.
• Pick the dominant PCR used by competitive products in the same application, then keep publication operator‑agnostic to match customer preference. Selecting the common rulebook makes life easier for specifiers.
• Build data pipelines from existing selection and factory systems so the next declaration in the family is faster than the first. That is where the real ROI compounds.

What this means for sales and specification

In LEED‑targeted work, a product without a product‑specific EPD often forces teams to use conservative default values. That creates a penalty in the materials tally and increases the chance another product with a verified EPD gets picked instead. Under LEED v5’s ratified trajectory, materials data has moved from nice‑to‑have to table stakes for many owners and AEC firms (USGBC, 2025). Publishing product‑specific EPDs for your highest‑runner SKUs reduces friction in submittals and helps keep the conversation on performance, aesthetics, and total cost, not on paperwork.

A note on tone and timing

Momentum is building across HVAC, even outside the air distribution niche. When headline brands introduce EPDs and talk openly about them, it normalizes the expectation that mechanical products come with verified disclosures in the box (Carrier, 2025). That is the tide Krueger can surf by prioritizing a first wave of declarations in its most specified families, then expanding across the catalog.

Parentheses, not promises. An EPD is a transparency document, not a green label, yet it is the key that lets your products be counted in the systems owners use. That is a small document with outsized commercial leverage.