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Calories Burned Calculator

Estimate the calories you burn during an activity from its MET value, your body weight and the duration.

Level: Grade 6

  • Common Core standard 6.EE.A.2.cEvaluate expressions at specific values of their variables. Include expressions that arise from formulas used in real-world problems. Perform arithmetic operations, including those involving whole-number exponents, in the conventional order when there are no parentheses to specify a particular order (Order of Operations).
  • Common Core standard 6.RP.A.3.dUse ratio reasoning to convert measurement units; manipulate and transform units appropriately when multiplying or dividing quantities.
Printable worksheet

Calories Burned Calculator

Inputs
Units

Result

Calories burned (estimate)

176 kcal

About 176 kcal over 30 minutes at 4.3 MET. This is a rough estimate; individual energy use varies.

Calories per minute
5.9 kcal/min
Calories per hour at this pace
351 kcal/h
MET value used
4.3 MET
MET-minutes
129
Weight used
81.6 kg

See the step-by-step solution ↓

Step-by-step solution

  1. Change your weight to kilograms, because the MET formula works in kilograms (1 lb = 0.45359237 kg exactly)

    180 lb×0.453592=81.647 kg

  2. Change the minutes to hours, because MET values are per hour

    30 min60=0.5 h

  3. Multiply the MET value by your weight in kg and the hours to get calories, using 4.3 MET for walking, brisk (about 3.5 mph / 5.6 km/h)

    4.3×81.647 kg×0.5 h=175.5 kcal

  4. Divide the total by the minutes to see calories per minute

    175.530=5.85 kcal/min

  5. Multiply MET by minutes to get MET-minutes, a common way to add up activity across workouts

    4.3×30=129

Test yourself

20 quick questions built from this calculator's formula: work out results, predict what happens when an input changes, and work backward from an answer. Every answer comes with the working.

Please note: This calculator gives a general screening estimate, not a diagnosis. Talk to a qualified healthcare professional about your individual health.

What this calculator does

Find out roughly how many calories a workout or activity burns. Exercise scientists give every activity a typical intensity score called a MET, short for metabolic equivalent of task. One MET is about the energy you use sitting quietly. An activity rated at 5 MET uses about five times as much. Multiply the MET value by your body weight and the time spent, and you get a simple, widely used calorie estimate.

This calculator includes more than thirty common activities, from yoga and housework to running and jumping rope. Their MET values are typical figures of the kind listed in the widely used Compendium of Physical Activities. You can also enter any MET value yourself. The result is an estimate, not a measurement, and it is not medical advice. If you're starting a new or harder exercise routine, check with a doctor first.

Where it's used

Why this math matters outside the classroom:

  • MET formula. A 70 kg person walking for 1.5 hours at about 3.5 METs burns roughly 3.5 × 70 × 1.5, which is about 368 kcal.
  • Minutes to hours. Turning a 45-minute session into 0.75 hours before multiplying is a step students practice with this formula.
  • Workout logs. People keep a log of each activity, its minutes and the estimated calories to see a week's total at a glance.
  • Comparing activities. Comparing 30 minutes of cycling with 30 minutes of walking shows how a higher MET value raises the estimate for the same time.
  • Energy balance. Health classes pair calories burned with calories eaten to explain the idea of energy balance over a day.

Grade level and standards: Grade 6; Common Core State Standards for Mathematics 6.EE.A.2.c, 6.RP.A.3.d. © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.

How to use it

  1. Choose US or metric units and enter your body weight.
  2. Pick the activity that best matches what you did. Or choose Custom MET value and type one in.
  3. Enter how many minutes you spent on it.
  4. Read the estimated calories. You'll also see calories per minute, calories per hour and MET-minutes.

What the inputs mean

Activity
The MET values are rough averages for a typical effort. The same activity can be lighter or harder depending on your pace, the ground, your technique and how steadily you keep moving. Pick the option closest to how hard you really worked.
MET value
Use this when your activity isn't listed, or you have a MET value from another source. Values usually run from about 1 (resting) to around 15 or more for very hard running.
Duration
Count only the time you were active. Rest breaks between sets or long pauses lower your real average effort.

Formula and method

calories (kcal) = MET × weight (kg) × duration (hours)
calories per minute = calories ÷ minutes
MET-minutes = MET × minutes
weight (kg) = weight (lb) × 0.45359237

In the formulas, MET is the activity's intensity score, weight is your body weight and duration is the time spent. A kcal (kilocalorie) is the "calorie" printed on food labels. One MET is about 1 kcal for each kilogram of body weight, each hour. That's why the math is just MET times kilograms times hours. A 70 kg person doing a 6 MET activity for one hour burns an estimated 6 × 70 × 1 = 420 kcal.

The result is your total energy use, including what you'd have burned resting during that time anyway. For short activities the difference is small. But it means the extra calories above resting are about one MET-hour lower than the total shown.

MET-minutes are a common way to add up activity across different exercises. Thirty minutes at 4 MET is 120 MET-minutes. That's the same total as 15 minutes at 8 MET.

Worked example

A person weighing 180 lb goes for a brisk 30-minute walk at about 3.5 mph (4.3 MET).

  1. Convert the weight to kilograms: 180 × 0.45359237 = 81.647 kg.
  2. Convert the time to hours: 30 ÷ 60 = 0.5 hours.
  3. Calories = 4.3 × 81.647 × 0.5 = 175.5 kcal.
  4. Per minute: 175.5 ÷ 30 = 5.85 kcal. MET-minutes: 4.3 × 30 = 129.

Result: The walk burns roughly 176 kcal, or about 351 kcal per hour at that pace.

Understanding the result

Treat the number as a ballpark figure. Two people of the same weight doing the same activity can differ quite a bit. Fitness, efficiency, body makeup and how hard each one actually worked all play a part.

If you use the result to plan meals, be careful about eating back every calorie shown. Exercise estimates, including those from fitness watches, tend to run high more often than low.

MET estimates are most useful for comparing activities. For example, they show clearly that running burns about twice what brisk walking does in the same time.

Assumptions and limitations

  • The MET value reflects an average effort kept up for the whole time.
  • Body weight is converted exactly (1 lb = 0.45359237 kg).
  • One MET is taken as 1 kcal per kg per hour, the standard simplification.
  • MET values are averages for adults. They aren't adjusted for age, sex, fitness or body makeup.
  • The listed values are typical, rounded figures. Published tables list many versions of each activity and are updated from time to time.
  • Surroundings such as heat, cold, hills, wind and water temperature aren't taken into account.
  • This is not a medical tool and should not guide treatment of any condition.

Frequently asked questions

What does MET mean?

MET stands for metabolic equivalent of task. It compares an activity's energy use with sitting at rest, which is 1 MET. A 3 MET activity takes about three times the energy of sitting still.

Why does a heavier person burn more calories doing the same thing?

Moving a larger body takes more energy, so the estimate grows with weight. At the same MET value and time, a 100 kg person burns an estimated 25% more than an 80 kg person.

Is this more accurate than my fitness tracker?

Not necessarily, since both are estimates. A tracker that reads your heart rate may capture how hard you actually worked. A MET estimate assumes a typical effort. Neither is as accurate as a lab measurement.

Where do the MET values come from?

They're typical values of the kind published in the Compendium of Physical Activities. That's a widely used research reference that lists hundreds of activities. The values here are rounded and approximate. If you have a more specific value, enter it as a custom MET.

How this calculator is checked

Method: Standard MET energy equation (kcal = MET × kg × hours, with 1 MET ≈ 1 kcal/kg/h); representative MET values of the kind listed in the Compendium of Physical Activities, rounded and approximate. The calculation is covered by automated tests with known reference values and edge cases. Last updated 2026-10-18. Found a problem? Tell us.

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