Calories Burned Calculator
Pick an activity, how long you did it and your weight to see the calories you burned, or enter a walk, run or ride by distance and time.
10 MET (2024 Adult Compendium, code 12050)
h:mm:ss or mm:ss, like 1:05:00 or 30:00.
For splits, race predictions and treadmill speeds, try the running pace calculator.
Standard is what the Compendium uses. "Your own resting burn" uses your BMR, so it changes with sex, age and height.
Same time, other activities
| Activity | MET | kcal |
|---|
How your calories burned are worked out
Calories a minute = MET × 3.5 × weight in kg ÷ 200, then times your minutes.
- 1
Find the MET
Running, 6–6.3 mph= 10 MET
- 2
Burn per minute
10 × 3.5 × 70÷ 200= 12.25 kcal/min
- 3
Times your minutes
12.25 × 30 min= 368 kcal
- 4
In fat and food
368 ÷ 7,700≈ 48 g of fat≈ 1.3 pizza slices
Read more: the formula, a worked example, MET table and notes
Every activity has a MET value (metabolic equivalent): how many times your resting energy use it takes. Sitting quietly is about 1.3 MET, brisk walking 4.5 and running at 6 mph 10.0. The values here come from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, the standard research list (official tracking guide, pacompendium.com). A few activities that aren't in that guide, such as swimming, keep their 2011 Compendium value and are marked ≈. Multiply by your weight and the time, and you get the calories.
The formula
calories per minute = MET × 3.5 × weight in kg ÷ 200
calories burned = calories per minute × minutes
kilojoules = calories × 4.184
net calories = (MET − 1) × 3.5 × weight in kg ÷ 200 × minutes
fat equivalent in kg ≈ calories ÷ 7,700
minutes to burn a target = target ÷ calories per minute
The 3.5 is the oxygen you use at rest (3.5 ml per kg per minute), and dividing by 200 turns oxygen into calories (about 5 kcal per litre of oxygen, so 3.5 × 5 ÷ 1,000 = 0.0175 kcal per kg per minute, the same as 3.5 ÷ 200). In Advanced you can swap the resting rate for the quick rule of 1 kcal per kg per hour, or your own resting burn (BMR) from the Mifflin–St Jeor equation: calories per minute = MET × BMR ÷ 1,440.
Worked example
A 70 kg person runs at 6 mph (10:00 per mile, 10.0 MET) for 30 minutes. Calories per minute = 10.0 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 = 2,450 ÷ 200 = 12.25 kcal. Over 30 minutes that's 10.0 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 × 30 = 367.5 kcal, about 368 kcal, or 367.5 × 4.184 = 1,538 kJ. Per hour it's 735 kcal. Net of resting: (10.0 − 1) × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 × 30 = 330.75 kcal. As fat: 367.5 ÷ 7,700 = 0.0477 kg, about 48 g. That's about 367.5 ÷ 285 = 1.3 slices of cheese pizza. To burn 500 kcal at this pace takes 500 ÷ 12.25 = 40.8 minutes.
By distance and time
In distance mode the calculator works out your speed, then reads the MET off the Compendium's speed table, filling in between the listed speeds in a straight line. Running 5 km in 30:00 is 10 km/h (6.21 mph). The table gives 10.0 MET at 6 mph and 11.5 at 7 mph, so 6.21 mph is 10.0 + 0.21 × 1.5 = 10.32 MET. For 70 kg: 10.32 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 × 30 = 379 kcal, about 76 kcal per km. Speeds below or above the table use the nearest listed value. Walking faster than 3.5 mph uses 2011 values (≈), as the 2024 guide stops there.
Calories in 30 minutes, by weight
| Activity | MET | 57 kg (125 lb) | 70 kg (155 lb) | 84 kg (185 lb) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walking for pleasure (about 3 mph, 4.8 km/h) | 3.5 | 104 | 129 | 154 |
| Walking, brisk (3.5 mph, 5.6 km/h) | 4.5 | 134 | 166 | 198 |
| Hiking, cross country | 6 | 179 | 221 | 264 |
| Running, 5–5.2 mph (12:00 /mile, 7:27 /km) | 8 | 238 | 295 | 352 |
| Running, 6–6.3 mph (10:00 /mile, 6:13 /km) | 10 | 298 | 369 | 440 |
| Running, 8 mph (7:30 /mile, 4:40 /km) | 13.5 | 402 | 498 | 595 |
| Cycling, 10–11.9 mph (16–19 km/h), light | 6 | 179 | 221 | 264 |
| Cycling, 12–13.9 mph (19–22 km/h), moderate | 8 | 238 | 295 | 352 |
| Exercise bike, general | 6.8 | 202 | 251 | 300 |
| Swimming laps, freestyle, easy to moderate | ≈ 5.8 | 173 | 214 | 255 |
| Swimming, breaststroke | ≈ 10.3 | 307 | 380 | 454 |
| Elliptical trainer, moderate | 5 | 149 | 185 | 220 |
| Rowing machine, 100–149 W | 7.5 | 223 | 277 | 330 |
| Weight training, several exercises, 8–15 reps | 3.5 | 104 | 129 | 154 |
| HIIT, moderate | 7 | 208 | 258 | 308 |
| Skipping rope, fast | 12.3 | 366 | 454 | 542 |
| Yoga, hatha | 2.3 | 68 | 85 | 101 |
| Pilates | ≈ 3 | 89 | 111 | 132 |
| Zumba | 6.5 | 193 | 240 | 286 |
| Tennis, general | 7 | 208 | 258 | 308 |
| Football (soccer), casual | 7 | 208 | 258 | 308 |
| Gardening, general | 2.3 | 68 | 85 | 101 |
| Sweeping or vacuuming | 3.3 | 98 | 122 | 145 |
| Sitting quietly | 1.3 | 39 | 48 | 57 |
Weights are 125, 155 and 185 lb (56.7, 70.3 and 83.9 kg). MET values from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities (Herrmann and others, 2024), checked 11 Oct 2026; rows marked ≈ are not in the 2024 tracking guide and keep the 2011 Compendium value (Ainsworth and others, 2011).
Food equivalents
These use typical values; brands and portions vary: slice of cheese pizza 285 kcal, medium banana 105 kcal, can of cola (330 ml) 140 kcal, glazed doughnut 250 kcal, chocolate bar (45 g) 230 kcal.
MET values are averages from research, and your real burn can be 10–20% higher or lower depending on fitness, technique, terrain, heat and body make-up. The 7,700 kcal per kg of fat figure is a rule of thumb. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or are starting a lot more exercise, check with a doctor first.
Common questions
How are calories burned worked out?
Each activity has a MET value: how many times your resting energy use it takes. Calories a minute = MET × 3.5 × your weight in kg ÷ 200. Running at 6 mph is 10.0 MET, so a 70 kg person burns 10 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 = 12.25 kcal a minute, or about 368 kcal in 30 minutes.
What is a MET?
MET stands for metabolic equivalent. 1 MET is the energy you use sitting quietly, taken as 3.5 ml of oxygen per kg of body weight per minute. Brisk walking at 3.5 mph is 4.5 MET, so it uses about 4.5 times your resting energy. The values here come from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities.
Does walking or running burn more calories per km?
Running burns more per km, but not by as much as people think. A 70 kg person running 5 km in 30 minutes burns about 379 kcal, about 76 kcal per km. Walking 5 km at 5 km/h takes an hour and burns about 273 kcal, about 55 kcal per km. Running also takes half the time.
How many calories do I need to burn to lose 1 kg?
A common rule of thumb is about 7,700 kcal for each kg of body fat (3,500 kcal per pound). So a 368 kcal run is roughly 48 g of fat. Real weight change also depends on what you eat, water and how your body adapts, so treat this as a rough guide.
Why do fitness trackers show different numbers?
Watches use heart rate, movement and their own formulas, while MET tables give an average for an activity. Both are estimates. MET values can be 10–20% off for one person, because fitness, technique, terrain and body make-up all change the real burn. Use the numbers to compare activities, not as an exact count.
What are net calories burned?
Net calories are the extra energy the activity used on top of what you'd burn anyway sitting still. It's the MET minus 1, times your resting rate. For a 30-minute run at 10 MET and 70 kg, gross is about 368 kcal and net is about 331 kcal. Advanced mode shows both.
Related calculators
Made by Zulu Calculator, part of AlphaZulu LLC. Formulas are shown in full and rule figures are checked against official sources; see how we build calculators.