Calories Burned Calculator
This free calories burned calculator estimates calories burned during a specific activity using published MET values, your weight, and how long you did it for. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or stored.
How to Use It
- Choose your activity from the list.
- Enter your weight and how long you did the activity for.
- Your estimated calories burned updates instantly.
How It Works
Every activity here is assigned a MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) value from the widely cited Compendium of Physical Activities, a number describing how intense that activity is relative to resting. By definition, one MET burns roughly one calorie per kilogram of body weight per hour, so calories burned comes directly from that relationship: MET value times weight in kilograms times duration in hours. This is the same simplified formula used by most fitness calculators and references.
Formula
calories burned = MET × weight (kg) × duration (hours)
A worked example: a 155 pound (about 70.3 kilogram) person running at 6 mph for 30 minutes uses a MET value of 9.8, giving an estimated 345 calories burned. A 65 kilogram person doing 30 minutes more of moderate walking, at a MET value of 3.5, would add roughly another 114 calories.
This is a general estimate based on a published average for each activity, not a personalized measurement. Everything runs client-side in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or stored.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a MET value, and where do the numbers come from?
MET stands for Metabolic Equivalent of Task, a standard way of expressing how intense an activity is compared to resting. One MET is defined as roughly one calorie burned per kilogram of body weight per hour, close to your resting metabolic rate, and a MET value of 8 means an activity burns roughly eight times that. The values used here come from the widely cited Compendium of Physical Activities, a published reference used across fitness research and other calorie calculators.
Why might my actual calories burned be different from this estimate?
Each activity here uses one representative MET value, but real effort varies with your fitness level, the exact pace or intensity, terrain, and even outside temperature. Two people doing the same activity for the same amount of time can burn meaningfully different amounts of energy. Treat this as a reasonable planning estimate, not a precise measurement.
How is this different from the site's Calorie Calculator?
The Calorie Calculator estimates your daily maintenance calories, how much you burn overall in a typical day based on your body and general activity level. This tool instead estimates calories burned by one specific activity and duration, like a 30 minute run, a separate question with a separate calculation.
Does changing the activity affect my weight or duration?
No, switching activities only changes the MET value used in the calculation. Your entered weight and duration stay exactly as you typed them, and the result recalculates instantly using the new activity's MET value.
Is this a substitute for a fitness tracker?
No, this gives a general estimate from a published average, not a personalized measurement. A fitness tracker with heart rate data, or a lab measured VO2 test, will give a more accurate figure specific to you.