How to estimate a walk
Enter your body weight, the time spent walking and your average moving speed. Choose kg or lb, minutes or hours, and km/h or mph. Press Calculate to confirm the result. The muted example is a 70 kg adult walking for 30 minutes at 5 km/h; it can be calculated as shown.
Use moving time when your average speed excludes stops. If you include a long seated break in the duration while keeping your moving speed, both estimated energy and distance will be overstated. Changing an input clears the old result so that Copy always refers to a confirmed calculation.
Total calories versus extra calories
A MET describes an activity's energy cost relative to a standard resting baseline. This calculator uses the Compendium convention of 1 MET ≈ 1 kcal per kilogram per hour. Total energy = MET × weight in kg × time in hours. Extra above rest = (MET − 1) × weight × time.
The resting baseline is weight × time and is already included in total energy. For example, 133 total kcal and 98 extra kcal describe the same walk, with a 35 kcal baseline. Do not add total and extra together. These values describe energy expenditure, not a calorie intake target.
Two worked examples
At 70 kg, 30 minutes and 5 km/h, the converted speed falls in the 2.8–3.4 mph activity, with 3.8 MET. Total energy is 3.8 × 70 × 0.5 = 133 kcal. Extra energy is 2.8 × 70 × 0.5 = 98 kcal, and distance is 2.5 km.
At 80 kg, 60 minutes and 3.5 mph, the activity is 4.8 MET. Total energy is 384 kcal and extra energy is 304 kcal. Distance is 3.5 miles, approximately 5.63 km. The same physical inputs in other units produce the same calculation before display rounding.
How speed is matched
The reference lists separate speed ranges rather than a continuous equation. A speed within a listed interval takes that interval's MET. In a gap, this calculator selects the nearest documented interval; an exact midpoint selects the faster one. For instance, 2.65 mph uses the 2.8–3.4 mph reference.
The result shows the selected activity code and its source speed range. Your entered speed is retained for the distance calculation. Because energy uses discrete activity categories, a small speed change across a boundary can cause a noticeable change in estimated calories. That is a property of this method, not an abrupt change in your body's response.
Units, limits and rounding
Conversions use 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg and 1 mile = 1.609344 km. The supported input range is 1–500 kg, more than zero to 24 hours, and 0.5–5.5 mph. These are calculator input limits, not recommendations for body weight or walking duration.
Decimal points and decimal commas are accepted; omit thousands separators. Results are rounded to at most two decimal places, but unit changes retain the underlying value. Very small positive results appear as less than 0.01 rather than zero.
Walking speeds and MET values
The calculator uses these eight outdoor walking activities from the 2024 Adult Compendium. Speeds are shown in the source unit. Values are selected from the table, without interpolating METs.
| Compendium code | mph | MET |
|---|---|---|
| 17151 | <2.0 | 2.3 |
| 17152 | 2.0–2.4 | 2.8 |
| 17170 | 2.5 | 3 |
| 17190 | 2.8–3.4 | 3.8 |
| 17200 | 3.5–3.9 | 4.8 |
| 17220 | 4.0–4.4 | 5.5 |
| 17230 | 4.5–4.9 | 7 |
| 17231 | 5.0–5.5 | 8.5 |
Frequently asked questions
Is this my exact calorie burn?
No. METs describe groups and standardized activities. Fitness, body composition, walking technique and environmental conditions can change individual energy use. Read the answer as an estimate for the selected activity, rather than a measurement from your body.
Does this cover hills, treadmills or carrying a load?
No. The selected activities describe walking on firm, level ground. Hills, soft ground, a backpack and treadmill activity have separate reference categories. Applying these results to those situations would require assumptions that this calculator does not make.
Can I use this for children or older adults?
The selected source is the Adult Compendium for ages 19–59. This calculator does not adapt its activity values for children or older adults. The source publishes separate resources for other age groups.
Why does my watch show a different number?
A watch may use heart rate, elevation, a personal resting estimate or a different definition of active calories. Compare total with total and active with extra before comparing the numbers. This calculator's resting baseline is standardized, not personalized.
Why does changing weight not change the distance?
Distance is speed multiplied by time. Body weight affects the energy estimate but not distance. If distance looks wrong, check whether your speed uses mph or km/h and whether the duration includes time when you were not moving.