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Calories Burned Calculator (MET)

Choose from dozens of activities with built-in MET values, enter weight and duration, and get calories burned plus a comparison table at the same duration.

Is half an hour of running or half an hour of swimming more demanding? The answer depends on your weight. Dozens of common activities carry built-in MET values: pick one, enter weight and duration, and the burn appears immediately, with a table comparing everything else at the same duration — useful for anyone varying their training.

On the MET convention: a MET is the ratio of active energy expenditure to resting, so jogging at about 8 MET burns eight times the sitting rate, and the estimate is MET × weight in kg × hours. It is a population average, and ±20% between individuals is normal; the figure a machine displays typically reads 10–20% high and is best taken loosely.

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How to use

  1. Choose the activity from the MET list.
  2. Enter body weight and duration.
  3. Read the estimated calories burned.
  4. Compare other activities at the same duration in the table.

How it works

MET formula for burn

MET is "metabolic equivalent," the multiple of resting energy a given activity consumes. 1 MET roughly equals the energy of 3.5 ml of oxygen per kg per minute, giving the general formula: kcal = MET x 3.5 x weight (kg) / 200 x minutes. For jogging at 8 km/h (7 MET), 65 kg, 30 minutes: 7 x 3.5 x 65 / 200 x 30 = 238.9 kcal.

Why weight affects burn

At the same intensity and duration, heavier people burn more — moving a larger body mass requires more work. That's why weight is a multiplier in the formula: 60 kg jumping rope for 15 minutes is about 194 kcal, while 80 kg doing the same approaches 259 kcal. After losing weight, the same exercise burns less — normal.

Where estimation error comes from

Estimation error comes mainly from three places: the MET table gives the activity's average intensity (some joggers are 6 MET, others 8); movement efficiency (skilled people do the same motion with less effort); and "resting metabolism is already counted" — exercise burn should usually subtract the basal metabolism you'd have consumed during the same time. So a +/-20% real difference is normal; don't treat the wristband number as absolute truth.

Code example

JavaScript The MET burn formula 

const MET = { jogging: 8, walking: 4.3, swimming: 7, cycling: 6.8,
              jumpRope: 11, yoga: 2.5, basketball: 6.5 /* ...39 in total */ };

const burned = (sport, weightKg, hours) =>
  MET[sport] * weightKg * hours;

burned("jogging", 70, 0.5);   // 280 kcal (a 70kg person jogging for half an hour)
// Burn ≈ MET × weight × duration — a population average, ±20% between individuals

Python The same formula in Python 

MET = {"jogging": 8, "walking": 4.3, "swimming": 7, "cycling": 6.8}

burned = lambda sport, w, h: MET[sport] * w * h

burned("jogging", 70, 0.5)   # 280.0

# Weekly target reference: 150 minutes moderate (≈4 MET) or 75 minutes vigorous

FAQ

What does MET mean?

MET is the metabolic equivalent of task, the multiple of resting energy an activity consumes. Sitting is about 1.3 MET, brisk walking 3.5, jogging 7, jumping rope 12.3. The larger the value, the more burned in the same time.

Why does someone burn more than me over the same 30-minute run?

Mainly the weight difference. Burn is proportional to weight in the formula, so a 70 kg person burns about 1.4 times a 50 kg person. Pace also matters (8 and 12 km/h are 7 and 11.5 MET), as do road gradient and running efficiency.

The wristband shows a very different burn — which to trust?

Both are estimates. The wristband infers from heart rate and cadence, tending to overestimate at rest; this tool uses MET averages, deviating under individual intensity differences. A 10-20% gap is normal; if it exceeds double, usually one side treated "total burn" as "net exercise burn."

Can exercise burn be added directly to the daily calorie budget?

Yes, but with a discount. First, the formula is gross burn and should subtract the basal metabolism you'd have consumed meanwhile; second, increased appetite after exercise often leads to unconsciously eating more. A steady approach is to count half the exercise burn as extra allowance, especially when losing fat.

Where do the MET values in the table come from?

From common entries in the Compendium of Physical Activities, an internationally used public reference. The values are the activity's average level — e.g. cycling split into 4 / 8 / 10 MET by speed precisely to reduce one-size-fits-all bias.

Strength training's MET looks low — does it burn no calories?

It does. A single strength session burns less than running, but its value is preserving muscle mass and excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). The table's "general 3.5 MET / high intensity 6 MET" reflects only the burn during the session, not the aftereffects.

Should duration be total time or net exercise time?

Enter actual exercise time. Subtract rest, stretching, drinking and phone breaks, or you overestimate. For mixed training, split into segments and sum, e.g. strength 30 minutes + brisk walking 20 minutes.

Is my weight data uploaded?

No. The MET conversion is a single multiplication done entirely in the browser, generating no request, and the server can't get your weight. History stays local and is clearable in one click.