Activity Calories Calculator
Calculate energy burned during exercise or daily steps using standard MET values, your weight, and duration — or convert steps to estimated calories.
Calculate
Calculate
Measurements convert when you switch units
Result
The formula
Energy expenditure (kcal) ≈ MET × weight (kg) × duration (hours). MET values come from the Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth et al.). Steps mode assumes moderate walking (~3.5 MET, ~100 steps/min) to estimate duration from step count.
Worked example
- 70 kg · running 6 mph (9.8 MET) · 30 min
- Hours = 0.5
- Calories = 9.8 × 70 × 0.5 ≈ 343 kcal
Result: ≈ 343 kcal burned
How activity calories are estimated
MET-based estimates are population averages — wearables and lab tests refine further.
MET values
1 MET ≈ resting metabolism. Walking ~3.5, brisk walking 4.3, running 6 mph 9.8, cycling moderate 6.8, swimming moderate 5.8, strength training 5.0 — from Compendium codes cited in public health tools.
Steps to calories
Step counts convert to time using ~100 steps/minute at moderate pace, then apply walking MET. Actual burn varies with speed, terrain, and fitness.
Net vs gross
This shows gross activity calories — not subtracting resting burn during the same period. For diet planning, many people use net estimates from devices or TDEE models.
Interesting facts
Compendium of Physical Activities
Researchers catalog MET values for hundreds of activities — the standard source for epidemiology and fitness apps.
10,000 steps
Marketing origin — not a magic threshold. Step targets should fit your baseline and goals.
Heavier people burn more
MET formulas scale with body weight — the same walk costs more energy for a heavier person.
Links to pace
Runners can combine pace calculator output with this tool to estimate fuelling on long efforts.
EPOC not included
After intense exercise, elevated metabolism (EPOC) adds modest extra burn not modeled here.
Frequently asked questions
MET × weight in kg × time in hours. Select an activity or enter steps for a walking estimate.
Depends on weight and pace. A 70 kg person might burn roughly 300–400 kcal at moderate walking MET — this calculator shows your estimate.
MET values are population averages, not personalized measurements. Hills, fitness level, and exercise form all change real expenditure. Use MET-based estimates for planning, not accounting precision — expect them to differ from wearable readings.
Many people avoid eating back all exercise calories because estimates and devices often overstate burn.
Yes. MET formulas multiply directly by weight in kg, so a heavier person burns more kcal for the same activity and duration than a lighter person doing identical exercise.
Select cycling (moderate, 6.8 MET) and set duration to 60 minutes. For a 70 kg person that is roughly 6.8 × 70 × 1 ≈ 476 kcal — adjust weight and intensity for your own estimate.
Wearables blend heart-rate data, personal calibration, and proprietary algorithms, while this calculator uses published MET averages. Expect the two to differ by a meaningful margin rather than match exactly.
References
- Compendium of Physical Activities MET values for walking, running, cycling, and more.
- Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Activity intensity context.