acalculator

What walking calories do I burn?

Enter your weight, how fast you walk, and for how long to see the calories you burn. Heavier bodies, faster paces, and hills burn more.

Your numbers

Units
Calories burned
145

Walking for 30 minutes (Moderate, 2.8 to 3.4 mph) at 160 lb burns about 145 calories.

Above resting
107
Calories per hour
290
MET value
3.8

Calories burned: 145. Walking for 30 minutes (Moderate, 2.8 to 3.4 mph) at 160 lb burns about 145 calories.

Calories burned by minutes walked

This calculator gives general information only. It is not medical advice and does not replace a doctor or other health care provider. Talk with a professional about your results. Terms of use

How to calculate

Estimates the calories burned walking from body weight, pace or hill, and minutes, with MET values from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities.

Example with the default inputs (Weight 160 lb, Pace or hill Moderate, 2.8 to 3.4 mph, Minutes walked 30): Walking for 30 minutes (Moderate, 2.8 to 3.4 mph) at 160 lb burns about 145 calories.

Method: Calories = MET × 3.5 × weight (kg) ÷ 200 × minutes; calories above resting use MET − 1.

  • MET values are the 2024 Adult Compendium’s, measured in adults 19 to 59 years old.
  • One MET is taken as 3.5 mL of oxygen per kilogram per minute, and 1 litre of oxygen as 5 kilocalories (the Compendium’s conversions).
  • The answer is an estimate for an average person; fitness, age, terrain, and carrying a load change the real cost.
  • This is for information only and is not medical advice.

Machine-readable copies: Markdown, JSON.

Worked examples

Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.

  1. Weight 160 lb, Pace or hill Moderate, 2.8 to 3.4 mph, Minutes walked 30 gives Calories burned 144.786685, Above resting 106.684925, Calories per hour 289.573369, MET value 3.8.Source: 2024 Adult Compendium code 17190 (3.8 MET) and its unit conversion (kcal/min = MET × 3.5 × kg ÷ 200); hand calculation in content.mdx
  2. Weight 154.3 lb, Pace or hill Brisk, 3.5 to 3.9 mph, Minutes walked 60 gives Calories burned 352.8, Above resting 279.3.Source: 2024 Adult Compendium code 17200 (4.8 MET); hand calculation in content.mdx: 4.8 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 × 60
  3. Weight 200 lb, Pace or hill Uphill, 1 to 5% grade, Minutes walked 45 gives Calories burned 378.636231, Above resting 307.195433.Source: 2024 Adult Compendium code 17034, uphill 1 to 5% grade (5.3 MET); hand calculation in content.mdx
  4. Weight 121.3 lb, Pace or hill Slow, 2.0 to 2.4 mph, Minutes walked 20 gives Calories burned 53.9, MET value 2.8.Source: 2024 Adult Compendium code 17152 (2.8 MET); hand calculation in content.mdx: 2.8 × 3.5 × 55 ÷ 200 × 20

How the calories are worked out

  1. Find the MET value of the pace or hill in the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities:
    • strolling, under 2.0 mph (code 17151): 2.3 METs;
    • slow, 2.0 to 2.4 mph (17152): 2.8;
    • easy, 2.5 mph (17170): 3.0;
    • moderate, 2.8 to 3.4 mph (17190): 3.8;
    • brisk, 3.5 to 3.9 mph (17200): 4.8;
    • very brisk, 4.0 to 4.4 mph (17220): 5.5;
    • very, very brisk, 4.5 to 4.9 mph (17230): 7.0;
    • fast, 5.0 to 5.5 mph (17231): 8.5;
    • downhill, 2.5 mph (17180): 3.3;
    • uphill, 1 to 5% grade, moderate-to-brisk pace (17034): 5.3;
    • uphill, 6 to 10% grade, moderate-to-brisk pace (17035): 7.0.
  2. Calories per minute = MET × 3.5 × weight in kilograms ÷ 200. This comes from 1 MET = 3.5 mL of oxygen per kg per minute and about 5 kilocalories per litre of oxygen.
  3. Calories burned = calories per minute × minutes walked. Calories per hour = calories per minute × 60.
  4. Above resting = (MET − 1) × 3.5 × weight in kilograms ÷ 200 × minutes, which leaves out the 1 MET you burn at rest.

Weight in pounds is converted with 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg exactly. "Calories" here means kilocalories (kcal), the unit on food labels. No value is rounded in the calculation; the page shows whole calories.

Assumptions

  • The MET values are averages for adults 19 to 59 years old on firm surfaces, without a load.
  • The Compendium uses 3.5 mL/kg/min as everyone's resting rate. Your true resting rate can be higher or lower, so the estimate can be too high or too low.
  • Some calculators use 1 MET = 1 kcal per kg per hour instead; that gives about 5% less than the 3.5 ÷ 200 conversion used here.

This page is for information only. It is not medical advice.

Worked examples by hand

160 lb, moderate pace, 30 minutes. 160 lb = 72.575 kg. Per minute: 3.8 × 3.5 × 72.575 ÷ 200 = 4.826 kcal. Over 30 minutes: 4.826 × 30 = 144.8 calories. Per hour: 4.826 × 60 = 289.6. Above resting: 2.8 × 3.5 × 72.575 ÷ 200 × 30 = 106.7.

70 kg, brisk pace, 60 minutes. 4.8 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 × 60 = 5.88 × 60 = 352.8 calories; above resting: 3.8 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 × 60 = 279.3.

200 lb uphill (1 to 5% grade), 45 minutes. 200 lb = 90.718 kg. 5.3 × 3.5 × 90.718 ÷ 200 × 45 = 378.6 calories; above resting: 4.3 × 3.5 × 90.718 ÷ 200 × 45 = 307.2.

55 kg, slow pace, 20 minutes. 2.8 × 3.5 × 55 ÷ 200 × 20 = 53.9 calories.

Other questions people ask

How many calories does walking burn?

It depends on your weight, pace, and time. A 160 lb (72.6 kg) person walking at a moderate 2.8 to 3.4 mph burns about 145 calories in 30 minutes: 3.8 METs × 3.5 × 72.6 ÷ 200 × 30. At a brisk 3.5 to 3.9 mph, it is about 183 calories.

How is walking calorie burn calculated?

With a MET value, the energy cost of an activity as a multiple of resting. The Compendium of Physical Activities lists walking at 3.8 METs for a moderate pace. Calories per minute = MET × 3.5 × body weight in kg ÷ 200. Multiply by the minutes walked.

What does "above resting" mean?

Your body burns about 1 MET even at rest. The total includes that. The calories above resting use MET − 1, so they show the extra that the walk itself burned, which is the number to use for weight change.

Does walking uphill burn more calories?

Yes. The Compendium lists climbing hills with no load at a moderate-to-brisk pace as 5.3 METs on a 1 to 5% grade and 7.0 METs on a 6 to 10% grade, against 3.8 METs for a moderate pace on level ground.

How accurate is this estimate?

It is a population estimate. The Compendium's values are averages measured in adults 19 to 59 years old, and they assume a resting rate of 3.5 mL of oxygen per kg per minute. Your real burn can differ with fitness, age, body composition, terrain, and walking style.

How do I count a walk measured in miles?

Divide the distance by your speed to get the time. For example, 2 miles at 3 mph takes 2 ÷ 3 hours, which is 40 minutes. Then enter 40 minutes at the matching pace.