A generic approach is presented for estimating the energy-intensity of manufacturing processes. The major improvements in this technique over conventional methods of estimating energy-intensity in the manufacturing sector are the use of energy-intensity measures that are product-oriented and are based on physical measures of product output. The method is used to estimate electric intensities in the paper industry. The superiority of physical electric intensities over economic-based intensities for describing trends in the paper industry is demonstrated. The potential of this approach to provide control totals for detailed process-oriented engineering models is described.