The structural system is commonly a large contributor to the embodied carbon in new construction projects. Therefore, when major decisions about structural systems are made late in the design process, the project team’s ability to influence carbon impacts due to structural decisions is restricted. This can leave the embodied carbon impact of structural design as secondary to major design decisions made by architects before a structural engineer has been engaged. Similarly, early-stage carbon estimation can be limited by structural assumptions, including selection and estimation of structural systems and structural volumes. Exploring the feasibility of early-stage structural volume estimation, especially as it can be applied in analyzing embodied carbon (CO2e) studies, has the potential to bring the carbon impact of structural systems into the design discussion at earlier and earlier stages, when the costs of design changes are lower, and the potential impact is greater. By developing a methodology for estimating structural volumes based on initial architectural decisions such as building footprint, floor area, floor-to-floor heights, and preliminary structural selections, this research serves to bridge the gap between decision making and analysis to achieve effective and applicable early-stage embodied carbon analysis. This paper will examine the importance of embodied carbon estimation as it is shaped by early-stage structural estimations by a) presenting a brief review of the current methods, b) discussing how project teams can use early-stage estimating to ensure that embodied carbon is considered throughout the project life cycle, and c) outlining a sample methodology for early-stage structural estimation aimed towards volumetric takeoffs for embodied carbon calculations.