Calories Burned Calculator
Calories burned = MET × 3.5 × body weight in kg ÷ 200 × minutes. A 70 kg person walking briskly for 30 minutes burns about 176 kcal. Pick from 40 activities with MET values from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, enter your weight and time, and get your total, calories per hour and comparisons.
By the Calculators With Steps team · Updated November 10, 2026 · How we check our math
- Calories per hour
- 353 kcal/h
- Calories per minute
- 5.9 kcal/min
- MET value
- 4.82024 Compendium code 17200
- Intensity
- Moderate (3–5.9 METs)
- Above resting (net)
- 140 kcalExcludes the ~1 MET you would burn sitting still
- Share of a 2,000 kcal day
- 8.8%
Step-by-step working
- Body weight: 70 kg
- Calories per minute = MET × 3.5 × kg ÷ 200 = 4.8 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 = 5.88 kcal/min
- Total = 5.88 × 30 min = 176.4 kcal
Minutes needed to burn the same 176 kcal
| Activity | METs | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Running, 6 mph / 9.7 km/h (10:00 per mile, 6:13 per km) | 9.3 | 15 min |
| Cycling, moderate effort: 12–13.9 mph (19–22 km/h) | 8.0 | 18 min |
| Swimming laps, freestyle, slow / recreational | 5.8 | 25 min |
| Yoga, general | 2.3 | 63 min |
MET values are adult averages from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities (code 17200). Your actual burn depends on fitness, body composition, terrain and how hard you work, so treat this as an estimate. The total includes the calories you would burn at rest anyway; the net figure leaves them out.
How to use the calories burned calculator
- Choose an activity. Each option shows its MET value. Walking and running are split by speed, and cycling by speed and effort.
- Enter your body weight in kg or lb.
- Enter the duration in minutes.
You get total calories burned, calories per hour and per minute, the intensity level, the net calories above what you would burn at rest, and how long other activities would take to burn the same amount.
Calories burned formula
Calories per minute = MET × 3.5 × weight (kg) ÷ 200
Calories burned = calories per minute × minutes
- MET is the energy cost of the activity as a multiple of resting. Sitting quietly is 1 MET; brisk walking is 4.8.
- 3.5 is the oxygen use at rest, in millilitres per kg of body weight per minute.
- ÷ 200 converts oxygen use to kilocalories, since about 5 kcal are burned per litre of oxygen.
The result is gross calories, which include what your body would burn anyway at rest. The net figure subtracts 1 MET to show the extra energy the activity costs.
Worked example
A 70 kg person walks briskly at 3.5 to 3.9 mph for 30 minutes. The 2024 Compendium rates this activity (code 17200) at 4.8 METs.
- Calories per minute = 4.8 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 = 5.88 kcal
- Total = 5.88 × 30 = 176.4, or about 176 kcal
- Per hour = 5.88 × 60 = 353 kcal
- Net of resting = (4.8 − 1) × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 × 30 = 140 kcal
The same 176 kcal would take about 15 minutes of running at 6 mph or 63 minutes of general yoga.
Calories burned in 30 minutes by activity and weight
| Activity | METs | 60 kg (132 lb) | 70 kg (154 lb) | 85 kg (187 lb) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walking, moderate (2.8–3.4 mph) | 3.8 | 120 | 140 | 170 |
| Walking, brisk (3.5–3.9 mph) | 4.8 | 151 | 176 | 214 |
| Jogging, general | 7.5 | 236 | 276 | 335 |
| Running, 6 mph | 9.3 | 293 | 342 | 415 |
| Cycling, 12–13.9 mph | 8.0 | 252 | 294 | 357 |
| Swimming laps, slow freestyle | 5.8 | 183 | 213 | 259 |
| Weight training, 8–15 reps | 3.5 | 110 | 129 | 156 |
| Yoga, general | 2.3 | 72 | 85 | 103 |
| Badminton, social | 5.5 | 173 | 202 | 245 |
| Cricket | 4.8 | 151 | 176 | 214 |
| House cleaning | 3.3 | 104 | 121 | 147 |
Calories scale directly with body weight and time. Double either and the calories double.
Calories burned walking and running by speed
Speed has a big effect on burn. For a 70 kg (154 lb) person, one hour of each:
| Activity | METs | Calories per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Walking, slow (2.0–2.4 mph) | 2.8 | 206 |
| Walking, brisk (3.5–3.9 mph) | 4.8 | 353 |
| Walking, very brisk (4.0–4.4 mph) | 5.5 | 404 |
| Running, 5 mph (12:00 per mile) | 8.5 | 625 |
| Running, 6 mph (10:00 per mile) | 9.3 | 684 |
| Running, 7 mph | 11.0 | 809 |
| Running, 8 mph (7:30 per mile) | 12.0 | 882 |
| Running, 10 mph (6:00 per mile) | 14.8 | 1,088 |
Heavier runners burn more at the same speed: an 85 kg (187 lb) person running at 6 mph burns about 830 kcal per hour.
How accurate are these numbers?
MET values in the Compendium are averages measured in groups of adults, so your real burn can differ:
- Fitness and skill. Experienced runners and swimmers move more efficiently and may burn less than the table suggests at the same speed.
- Body composition. The formula uses total weight. Two people of the same weight but different muscle mass burn slightly different amounts.
- Effort. “Badminton, social” and “tennis, general” cover a wide range of intensity. Pick the closest match and treat the result as a rough figure.
- Terrain and conditions. Hills, sand, wind and heat raise the cost of walking, running and cycling.
The 2024 Compendium is the third update of the reference first published in 1993, and it lists activity codes so you can look up exactly how each value was defined.
Using your results
- To lose weight, combine activity with a modest calorie deficit. The TDEE calculator estimates your total daily burn, and the calorie calculator sets a target intake.
- If you eat back exercise calories, use the net figure, since the gross number includes energy you would have burned anyway.
- For runs, the pace calculator converts your time and distance into a speed you can match to the running options here.
- Keep most sessions at a moderate effort and use the target heart rate calculator to check your intensity.
Calories Burned Calculator: frequently asked questions
How do I calculate calories burned?
Multiply the activity's MET value by 3.5 and by your weight in kg, divide by 200 to get calories per minute, then multiply by the minutes. Brisk walking (4.8 METs) for 30 minutes at 70 kg is 4.8 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 × 30 = 176 kcal.
How many calories does walking burn?
At 70 kg, walking at a moderate 2.8–3.4 mph (3.8 METs) burns about 279 kcal per hour, and a brisk 3.5–3.9 mph walk (4.8 METs) burns about 353 kcal per hour. Heavier people burn more for the same walk.
How many calories does running burn?
Running at 6 mph (10:00 per mile, 9.3 METs) for 30 minutes burns about 342 kcal for a 70 kg person, or 684 kcal per hour. Faster paces have higher MET values, up to 14.8 METs at 10 mph.
How many calories do you burn lifting weights?
A typical gym session of several exercises for 8 to 15 reps is rated 3.5 METs, about 257 kcal per hour at 70 kg. Vigorous powerlifting or bodybuilding work is rated 6.0 METs, about 441 kcal per hour.
What is a MET?
A MET (metabolic equivalent of task) compares an activity's energy cost with sitting quietly, which is 1 MET. The CDC classes 3 to 5.9 METs as moderate intensity and 6 METs or more as vigorous.
How long do I need to walk to burn 100 calories?
About 17 minutes of brisk walking for a 70 kg person, who burns 5.88 kcal per minute at 4.8 METs. A lighter person needs a little longer and a heavier person a little less.
How many calories do I burn in a day?
Daily burn is your resting metabolism plus digestion plus all activity. Exercise is usually the smaller part. Use a TDEE calculator for your full daily total, and this calculator to estimate individual workouts.
Why do fitness trackers show different numbers?
Trackers combine heart rate, movement and their own formulas, while MET tables use average values measured in groups of adults. Both are estimates. Use one method consistently to compare workouts over time.
How we checked this page: every figure in the examples and FAQs above is produced by this calculator and verified by automated tests against known answers, and the rules and rates come from the sources below. Last updated . Spotted a problem? Tell us.