Calories Burned Calculator by Activity and Duration

How this calories burned calculator works

Choose one activity, enter bodyweight and duration, and the calculator applies the selected activity’s metabolic equivalent, or MET. The fixed equation is kcal per minute = MET × 3.5 × bodyweight in kilograms ÷ 200. That unrounded per-minute value is then multiplied by the entered duration in minutes. Only the final total is rounded to the nearest whole kilocalorie. The calculation does not round the kilogram conversion or the intermediate rate.

Bodyweight is always computed in kilograms internally. When pounds are selected, the entered value is multiplied by exactly 0.45359237. For example, 180 lb becomes 81.6466266 kg before the activity equation is applied. Keeping that full value avoids introducing an extra rounding step before the final answer.

Walking calorie calculator: calories burned walking

Use this page as a walking calorie calculator in either of its existing modes. In “By activity,” select the walking pace that matches the session, then enter bodyweight and duration. In “By step count,” enter steps and walking pace instead; the calculator derives distance and duration before estimating calories burned walking. Both paths use the same published Compendium walking MET tiers already available on this page.

Step-count mode first converts steps to miles using the same shipped conversion as thesteps to miles calculator. Use a measured step length when available, or the labelled Hoeger estimate based on sex, height, and walking pace. Distance and pace produce walking duration, while pace also selects the matching published tier: code 17170 at 3.0 MET below 2.8 mph, 17190 at 3.8 MET from 2.8 to below 3.5 mph, 17200 at 4.8 MET from 3.5 to below 4.0 mph, or 17220 at 5.5 MET from 4.0 mph upward. Paces outside the covered 2.5–4.4 mph range use the nearest endpoint tier with a soft warning. The calculator does not interpolate or average these values.

Finally, both modes pass the selected walking MET, exact kilogram bodyweight, and duration through the same calorie equation. Step-count output also shows distance, duration, conversion rate, and the selected code and MET value. Only the final calorie result is rounded to a whole number.

For walking or running on a treadmill, where speed and incline both matter, the treadmill calorie calculator estimates calories from those inputs rather than a MET table.

Cycling, swimming, hiking, elliptical, and rowing calories

Cycling calorie, swimming calorie, hiking calorie, elliptical calorie, and rowing calorie estimates stay on this page. Choose the published band that matches the session, then enter bodyweight and duration. The same equation applies. The calculator does not invent a MET, and it does not average two Compendium codes into one option.

Cycling runs from lighter to harder effort. Road bands are 10–11.9 mph (code 01020, 6.8 MET), 12–13.9 mph (01030, 8.0 MET), 14–15.9 mph (01040, 10.0 MET), and 16–19 mph (01050, 12.0 MET). Stationary cycling is listed separately: 90–100 watts (01220, 6.0 MET), general (01200, 6.8 MET), 126–150 watts (01228, 8.0 MET), and an RPM/Spin class (01270, 9.0 MET). At 80 kg, the 10–11.9 mph code for 45 minutes is 6.8 × 3.5 × 80 ÷ 200 × 45 = 428.4, displayed as 428 kcal. At 70 kg, stationary bike, general, for 30 minutes is displayed as 250 kcal.

Swimming options keep stroke and effort apart: recreational breaststroke (18265, 5.3 MET), slow freestyle laps (18240, 5.8 MET), slow crawl (18292, 5.8 MET), leisurely swimming (18310, 6.0 MET), medium crawl (18290, 8.0 MET), and fast freestyle laps (18230, 9.8 MET). At 70 kg, fast freestyle laps for 30 minutes are displayed as360 kcal.

Hiking options follow pace and load: slowly with no load (17081, 3.8 MET), a normal pace with no load (17082, 5.3 MET), cross country (17080, 6.0 MET), and hiking with a daypack (17012, 7.8 MET). At 70 kg, hiking slowly for 60 minutes is displayed as 279 kcal. At 80 kg, hiking with a daypack for 60 minutes is displayed as 655 kcal.

Elliptical trainer codes are moderate (02048, 5.0 MET) and vigorous (02049, 9.0 MET). At 75 kg, vigorous elliptical work for 30 minutes is displayed as 354 kcal. Stationary rowing codes are moderate (02071, 5.0 MET), vigorous general effort (02070, 7.3 MET), 100–149 watts (02072, 7.5 MET), and 150–199 watts (02073, 11.0 MET). Use those ergometer codes for a stationary rowing machine. At 70 kg, 100–149 watts for 20 minutes is displayed as 184 kcal.

What a MET represents

One MET is the energy cost of sitting or lying quietly. It is defined as an oxygen uptake of 3.5 milliliters per kilogram per minute, conventionally equivalent to 1 kilocalorie per kilogram per hour. An activity listed at 4.8 METs represents an estimated energy cost 4.8 times that resting reference. The divisor of 200 in the equation converts the oxygen-consumption expression into kilocalories per minute.

Every activity option on this page comes from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. The MET values are used unmodified as published. Activities with different MET levels remain separate options rather than being combined or averaged. Pace and activity wording therefore matter: brisk walking is not treated as interchangeable with a slower walk, and the running and cycling pace bands retain their own published values. Swimming stroke, hiking pace and load, elliptical effort, and rowing watt bands stay separate in the same way.

Worked calories-burned examples

At 70 kg, walking 3.5–3.9 mph for 30 minutes uses the 4.8 MET entry. The rate is 4.8 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 = 5.88 kcal per minute. Multiplying by 30 gives 176.4, displayed as 176 kcal. At 80 kg, general yoga at 2.3 METs for 60 minutes gives 193.2, displayed as 193 kcal. At 90 kg, general jump rope at 11.0 METs for 15 minutes gives 259.875, displayed as 260 kcal.

Pound entries follow the same calculation after exact conversion. A 180 lb person running 6.0–6.3 mph at 9.3 METs for 45 minutes produces 598 kcal. At 150 lb, cycling 12–13.9 mph at 8.0 METs for 40 minutes produces 381 kcal. At 165 lb, multiple-exercise resistance training at 3.5 METs for 50 minutes produces 229 kcal. In each case the displayed whole number is obtained only after the complete calculation.

How to interpret the estimate

The result describes the selected activity and entered duration, not an entire day. ATDEE calculator addresses estimated full-day energy expenditure, while this page answers the narrower question of what one activity session may use. The two outputs should not be assumed to be additive because a TDEE activity category may already represent exercise and general movement. If the goal is to explore intake planning from an existing maintenance estimate, use the separatecalorie deficit calculator; this activity result does not perform that calculation. For a separate daily reference that distinguishes total water from the amount supplied by beverages, use the water intake calculator. To estimate aerobic capacity from a field test or heart-rate ratio instead of activity energy, use theVO2 max calculator. To convert running distance and duration into pace and speed without estimating energy, use the pace calculator.

MET values are standardized reference estimates, not measurements of a particular session. Actual energy use can vary with movement economy, exact speed, technique, terrain, resistance, rest periods, environmental conditions, and how closely the selected label matches the activity performed. Bodyweight affects the equation directly, but the calculator does not observe those other factors. A longer duration scales the estimate linearly even when real intensity changes during a session.

Inputs, warnings, and boundaries

Blank, non-numeric, zero, or negative bodyweight and duration entries show inline validation instead of a result. A bodyweight outside roughly 30–300 kg (66–660 lb) triggers a soft prompt to check the value and unit, and a duration above 600 minutes triggers a similar prompt. Those prompts do not block the calculation. Selecting another activity changes only the published MET used in the same equation.

This page does not use heart rate and does not infer resting metabolism or full-day energy needs. Its output is limited to the estimated total kilocalories for the selected activity and duration, with the intermediate kcal-per-minute rate shown for transparency. This is a general estimate; actual energy use varies.

To estimate calories from your average heart rate during a workout instead, use the heart rate calorie calculator.

Source

Ainsworth BE, Herrmann SD, Jacobs DR Jr, et al. 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. Available at https://pacompendium.comAccessed 6 Sep 2026. MET values are used unmodified as published.

Herrmann SD, et al. 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: A third update of the energy costs of human activities. Journal of Sport and Health Science. 2024.Official values: https://pacompendium.com/adult-compendium/. Accessed 5 Oct 2026.

Hoeger WWK, Bond L, Ransdell L, Shimon JM, Merugu S. One-Mile Step Count at Walking and Running Speeds. ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal. 2008;12(1):14-19. doi:10.1249/01.FIT.0000298459.30006.8d

Frequently asked questions