acalculator

How do I convert steps to calories?

Type your steps, weight, step length and walking speed. The steps to calories calculator works out the distance and time, then the calories burned with the ACSM walking equation.

Your numbers

Units
Calories burned
419

10,000 steps at 160 lb burn about 419 calories over 5 miles.

Above resting
292
Calories per 1,000 steps
41.9
Distance (miles)
5
Distance (km)
8.05
Walking time (minutes)
100

Calories burned: 419. 10,000 steps at 160 lb burn about 419 calories over 5 miles.

Calories burned by steps

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

Turns a step count into calories burned walking, from step length, walking speed and body weight, with the ACSM walking equation, plus the distance and time.

Example with the default inputs (Steps 10,000, Weight 160 lb, Step length 31.68 in, Walking speed 3 mph): 10,000 steps at 160 lb burn about 419 calories over 5 miles.

Method: Distance = steps × step length; minutes = distance ÷ speed; VO2 = 0.1 × speed (m/min) + 3.5 mL/kg/min (ACSM walking equation, level ground); calories = VO2 × weight (kg) × minutes ÷ 1,000 × 5.

  • Level ground. The ACSM walking equation fits speeds from 1.9 to 3.7 mph; a hill adds 1.8 × speed × grade, which this page leaves out.
  • A litre of oxygen is 5 kilocalories, and the resting cost is 3.5 mL of oxygen per kg per minute (1 MET).
  • The default step length, 31.68 in, is 2,000 steps a mile (Bassett and others, 2010). Your own step length gives a better answer.
  • The answer is an estimate for an average adult, not a measurement, and not medical advice.

Machine-readable copies: Markdown, JSON.

Worked examples

Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.

  1. Steps 10,000, Weight 160 lb, Step length 31.68 in, Walking speed 3 mph gives Calories burned 419.000327, Above resting 291.994464, Calories per 1,000 steps 41.900033, Distance (miles) 5, Distance (km) 8.04672, Walking time (minutes) 100.Source: Compendium of Physical Activities, Unit Conversions: ACSM walking equation VO2 = 0.1 × speed + 1.8 × speed × grade + 3.5 (mL/kg/min, speed in m/min, 1.9 to 3.7 mph); 1 L O₂ = 5 kcal, https://pacompendium.com/unite-conversions/; Bassett DR Jr and others. Pedometer-measured physical activity and health behaviors in US adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2010;42(10):1819–1825 (2,000 steps is about one mile), https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2927728/
  2. Steps 5,000, Weight 154.3 lb, Step length 27.56 in, Walking speed 3.107 mph gives Calories burned 173.95, Above resting 122.5, Calories per 1,000 steps 34.79, Distance (km) 3.5, Walking time (minutes) 42.Source: Compendium of Physical Activities, Unit Conversions: ACSM walking equation VO2 = 0.1 × speed + 1.8 × speed × grade + 3.5 (mL/kg/min, speed in m/min, 1.9 to 3.7 mph); 1 L O₂ = 5 kcal, https://pacompendium.com/unite-conversions/
  3. Steps 2,000, Weight 200 lb, Step length 31.68 in, Walking speed 2 mph gives Calories burned 120.625815, Above resting 72.998616, Distance (miles) 1, Walking time (minutes) 30.Source: Compendium of Physical Activities, Unit Conversions: ACSM walking equation VO2 = 0.1 × speed + 1.8 × speed × grade + 3.5 (mL/kg/min, speed in m/min, 1.9 to 3.7 mph); 1 L O₂ = 5 kcal, https://pacompendium.com/unite-conversions/; Bassett DR Jr and others. Pedometer-measured physical activity and health behaviors in US adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2010;42(10):1819–1825 (2,000 steps is about one mile), https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2927728/

How it works

  • Distance (m) = steps × step length (m).
  • Speed (m/min) = speed (m/s) × 60. 1 mph = 0.44704 m/s and 1 km/h = 5/18 m/s, exactly.
  • Minutes = distance ÷ speed (m/min).
  • Oxygen cost (ACSM walking equation, level ground): VO2 = 0.1 × speed (m/min) + 3.5 mL/kg/min.
  • Calories = VO2 × weight (kg) × minutes ÷ 1,000 × 5 kcal per litre. This equals 0.0005 × weight (kg) × distance (m) for the walking plus 0.0175 × weight (kg) × minutes for resting.
  • Above resting = 0.1 × distance (m) × weight (kg) ÷ 1,000 × 5.
  • Calories per 1,000 steps = calories ÷ steps × 1,000. Miles = metres ÷ 1,609.344; km = metres ÷ 1,000.

Each typed value is used as the exact decimal you typed, in its unit (1 in = 0.0254 m, 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg); every step is an exact fraction, rounded once at the end.

Rules

  • Steps: a whole number from 1 to 200,000. Weight from 20 kg to 350 kg, both included, checked in kilograms (44.1 lb to 771.61 lb in two-decimal pounds; 44.09 lb is under 20 kg). Step length from 10 in to 60 in (25.4 cm to 152.4 cm).
  • Speed from 1.9 mph to 3.7 mph (exactly 3.0577536 km/h to 5.9545728 km/h), the range the ACSM walking equation was built on.
  • Level ground; no load carried.

Output format. Calories and minutes show as whole numbers, calories per 1,000 steps with 1 decimal, miles and km with 2 decimals, each rounded half up from its exact value.

Worked examples by hand

10,000 steps, 160 lb, 31.68 in, 3 mph. Distance = 10,000 × 0.804672 m = 8,046.72 m = 5 miles (8.05 km). Speed = 3 × 0.44704 × 60 = 80.4672 m/min, so 100 minutes. Weight 72.5747792 kg. Walking: 0.0005 × 72.5747792 × 8,046.72 = 292 kcal. Resting: 0.0175 × 72.5747792 × 100 = 127.0 kcal. Total 419 calories, 41.9 per 1,000 steps.

5,000 steps, 70 kg, 70 cm, 5 km/h. Distance 3,500 m = 3.5 km. Speed 5,000 ÷ 60 = 83.333 m/min, so 42 minutes. Walking: 0.0005 × 70 × 3,500 = 122.5 kcal. Resting: 0.0175 × 70 × 42 = 51.45 kcal. Total 173.95, shown as 174.

2,000 steps, 200 lb, 31.68 in, 2 mph. 1 mile in 30 minutes. Weight 90.718474 kg. Walking: 0.0005 × 90.718474 × 1,609.344 = 73.0 kcal; resting 0.0175 × 90.718474 × 30 = 47.6 kcal; total 121 calories.

Other questions people ask

How many calories do 10,000 steps burn?

For a 160 lb person with a 31.68 in step (2,000 steps a mile) walking at 3 mph, 10,000 steps is 5 miles in 100 minutes and burns about 419 calories, of which 292 come from the walking itself.

How many steps are in a mile?

About 2,000 for an average adult (Bassett and others, 2010), which is a step of 31.68 in. Taller people and faster walkers take longer steps and fewer per mile.

How do I measure my step length?

Walk 10 normal steps on a flat surface, measure from the start to the heel of your last step, and divide by 10. Or walk a known distance, such as a 400 m track lap, and divide it by your steps.

Why does speed change the calories?

The calories from walking depend on the distance (0.1 mL of oxygen per kg per metre). The resting part, 3.5 mL per kg per minute, depends on the time, so a slower walk over the same steps adds a little more.

What does “above resting” mean?

The calories from walking alone. Your body would burn the rest in the same minutes sitting still. Some apps and watches show only this part.

Does walking uphill count?

Not here. The page assumes level ground. Hills add a lot: the ACSM equation adds 1.8 × speed × grade. Use the treadmill calorie calculator for an incline.