Calories burned calculator
Pick an activity, enter your weight and time, get the calories.
How are calories burned calculated?
Each activity has a MET value — how many times more energy it takes than sitting still, where 1 MET is about 1 calorie per kilogram per hour. Calories = MET × weight in kg × hours. Running at 6 mph is 9.3 METs, so 30 minutes at 70 kg (154 lb) burns about 326 calories.
How many calories does walking burn?
Walking at a moderate 2.8–3.4 mph is 3.8 METs: an hour at 70 kg burns about 266 calories. Brisk walking at 3.5–3.9 mph is 4.8 METs.
Where do the MET values come from?
From the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, the standard research list of activity energy costs, for adults 19 to 59.
Why is my fitness tracker different?
Trackers use heart rate and their own formulas. The Compendium itself says MET values are a starting point and do not reflect precise individual energy use — fitness, age and technique change it.
Does weight matter?
Yes — the same activity burns more for a heavier person, because it moves more mass. That is why the calculator asks for your weight.
Are these gross or net calories?
Gross. A MET value includes the resting energy your body uses anyway, so MET × kg × hours is the total for the time spent. To see only the extra calories from the activity, use MET − 1 in place of the MET value.
Why do two people burn different amounts doing the same activity?
Body weight is the main factor in the formula, and the Compendium notes that fitness, age, body composition and how the activity is done also change the true energy cost. The calculator gives the average for an adult at the weight you enter.
What does one MET equal?
About 1 kilocalorie per kilogram of body weight per hour, which is roughly the energy cost of sitting quietly. An activity of 8 METs uses about eight times that.
How the calculation works
The calculator looks up the MET value of the activity in the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. It multiplies the MET value by your weight in kilograms and by the time in hours. Pounds are converted to kilograms by dividing by 2.2046. The Compendium values were compiled for adults aged 19 to 59 and describe average energy cost, so the result is an estimate for an average person doing the activity at the stated pace.
Worked example
A person weighs 80 kg (176 lb). A 45-minute brisk walk at 3.5 to 3.9 mph is 4.8 METs, so it burns 4.8 × 80 × 0.75 = 288 calories. A 30-minute run at 6 mph is 9.3 METs: 9.3 × 80 × 0.5 = 372 calories. An hour of moderate cycling at 12 to 13.9 mph is 8 METs: 8 × 80 × 1 = 640 calories. Of the run's total, about 332 calories are above what the body would have used at rest during the same half hour.
Common mistakes
- Picking an activity by name only. Walking, running and cycling each have several speeds with very different MET values. Choose the row that matches your pace.
- Entering minutes as hours. The formula needs hours, but the calculator asks for minutes and converts. Check that 45 means 45 minutes.
- Treating the total as calories above normal. The gross figure includes calories your body would burn at rest anyway.
Sources and related calculators
MET values: S. D. Herrmann et al., "2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities," Journal of Sport and Health Science 13 (2024), pp. 6–12. Related: calorie calculator, target heart rate calculator and BMR calculator.
For general information only — not medical advice. Talk with your doctor or another health professional about your own health. How we check our calculators.