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Calories Burned Calculator

Estimate how many calories you burn during a workout from the activity's MET value, your body weight, and how long you exercise — with per-minute and per-hour figures too.

Understanding the Calories Burned Calculator

The Calories Burned Calculator estimates how much energy you use during exercise. Pick from 25 common activities — walking, running, cycling, swimming, yoga, weight training, HIIT and more — then enter your body weight in kilograms or pounds and how many minutes you trained. Each activity carries a research-based MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) value that reflects its intensity relative to sitting still. The tool returns the total calories burned for your session plus handy per-minute and per-hour rates, so you can compare workouts and plan an energy deficit or surplus. Everything runs in your browser, with nothing sent to a server.

How it works

Every activity is assigned a MET value, where 1 MET is the energy you burn sitting quietly. A 9.8-MET run, for example, burns roughly 9.8 times that resting rate. The calculator multiplies the chosen activity's MET by your body weight in kilograms and by your training time in hours. If you enter pounds, it first converts to kilograms by dividing by 2.20462. From that it also derives a per-hour rate (MET times weight) and a per-minute rate. Heavier bodies and longer or more intense sessions all push the number up. Because MET values are population averages, the result is a reliable estimate rather than a lab-precise measurement.

Calories burned = MET x body weight (kg) x duration (hours) Where duration (hours) = minutes / 60, and weight (kg) = weight (lb) / 2.20462. Per hour = MET x weight (kg); Per minute = (MET x weight kg) / 60.

Worked example

Suppose you weigh 70 kg and run at 6 mph (MET 9.8) for 30 minutes. Plugging in: 9.8 x 70 x (30 / 60) = 9.8 x 70 x 0.5 = about 343 calories for the session. That works out to roughly 686 calories per hour, or about 11 calories per minute. A lighter 55 kg runner doing the same 30-minute run would burn about 270 calories, showing how body weight changes the total even when the activity and time are identical.

Tips & common mistakes

  • Be honest about intensity — a casual jog and an all-out sprint share a label but differ in real effort, so the estimate is only as accurate as the activity you pick.
  • Use per-hour and per-minute rates to compare activities fairly, since a short intense session can match a long easy one.
  • Pair this with the TDEE calculator: subtract about 500 calories a day from your total burn for roughly 0.45 kg (1 lb) of weight loss per week.
  • Do not eat back every burned calorie — wearables and MET formulas both tend to overestimate, so leave a margin if weight loss is your goal.
  • Weigh yourself consistently (same time, similar clothing) and adjust based on real results over two to three weeks rather than trusting a single estimate.
  • Drink water before, during and after longer sessions; hydration needs rise with exercise duration and intensity.

Sources & methodology

  • • MET values: Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth et al.)
  • • American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) physical activity guidance
  • • U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans

Related tools

TDEE CalculatorCalculate your daily calorie needs (TDEE) and BMR from age, weight, height, and activity.Macro CalculatorSplit your daily calories into protein, carbs, and fat for your goal.BMI CalculatorCalculate your Body Mass Index from height and weight, with your healthy-weight range — metric or imperial.Body Fat CalculatorEstimate your body fat percentage using the U.S. Navy method from a few body measurements.

Reviewed by the TopOpenTools editorial team · Last updated June 2026. These tools provide general estimates for educational purposes only and are not financial, tax, insurance, investment, or medical advice. Verify important decisions with a qualified professional.

How to Use This Calculator

  1. 1Pick your activity from the list — each one carries its own MET value.
  2. 2Enter your body weight (kg or lb) and the duration in minutes.
  3. 3Click Calculate, then check your daily needs with the TDEE calculator.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is calories burned calculated?

It uses the MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) method: calories = MET × your body weight in kilograms × duration in hours. Each activity has a published MET value that reflects how intense it is compared with sitting still.

Why does my weight affect the result?

Heavier bodies need more energy to move, so for the same activity and time a heavier person burns more calories than a lighter one. That is why body weight is part of the formula.

Is this number exact?

No — it is a solid estimate, not a precise measurement. Real calorie burn varies with your fitness level, effort, body composition, terrain, and metabolism, so treat it as a useful guide rather than an exact figure.