🔥 Calories Burned Calculator
Estimate calories burned during walking, running, cycling, swimming, strength training, and more from your weight and the activity’s MET value.
How the Calories Burned Calculator Works
Exercise physiologists estimate energy use with MET (metabolic equivalent of task) values. One MET is roughly the energy you use sitting at rest; an activity with a MET of 8 uses about eight times as much. Calories burned ≈ MET × body weight in kilograms × duration in hours. The MET values here are approximate figures based on the Compendium of Physical Activities, a widely used research reference.
Results are estimates for an average adult. Actual calories burned vary with fitness level, body composition, terrain, technique, and intensity, and fitness trackers use their own methods, so their numbers may differ. The figure is a gross estimate that includes the energy you would have used at rest during the same time; the net extra calories from the activity are shown separately. If you know a specific MET value, you can enter it directly.
Formula
Calories burned = MET × weight (kg) × duration (hours) Net calories (above resting) = (MET − 1) × weight (kg) × duration (hours) 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg
How to Use It
- Enter your body weight in pounds or kilograms.
- Choose an activity (or enter a custom MET value).
- Enter how long you did the activity, in minutes.
- Read the estimated calories burned.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are calories burned calculated?
A common method multiplies the activity’s MET value by body weight in kilograms and by time in hours. Running at 6 mph (MET 9.8) for 30 minutes at 70 kg is about 343 calories.
What is a MET?
A metabolic equivalent of task: the energy cost of an activity compared with sitting at rest. Brisk walking is around 4, running at 6 mph around 10.
Why does my fitness tracker show a different number?
Trackers use heart rate, motion, and their own formulas. All methods are estimates; the MET method is a standard research approach but cannot account for individual differences.
Do heavier people burn more calories?
Yes, for the same activity and time, because moving more body weight takes more energy. That is why weight is part of the formula.
Related Glossary Terms
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Formula and content last reviewed: September 2026. All calculations run in your browser — nothing you enter is sent to or stored on our servers.
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See all →✔ Reviewed by GelirLab Editöryal Ekibi · Last reviewed: September 2026 · How we check our calculators