How calories burned walking is estimated
Calorie burn is estimated with the MET formula: calories ≈ MET × weight (kg) × hours. A MET is a multiple of your resting energy use; walking ranges from about 3 (slow) to 5 (fast). At a brisk 3.5 MET, a 70 kg person walking 1 hour burns about 245 calories.
One MET is the energy your body uses sitting still, roughly 1 kcal per kilogram of body weight per hour, so 3.5 MET costs three and a half times that. For a 70 kg walker: 3.5 × 70 × 1 = 245 calories in an hour, or about 123 calories for a half-hour walk.
Typical MET values: about 2.5 for a slow stroll, 3.0 at 2.5 mph, 3.5 for a brisk 3 mph, 4.3 at 4 mph and 5 to 6 uphill or carrying a load. A backpack, a pram or soft sand all push the effective MET up.
For the same task from a slightly different angle, try the steps to calories calculator.
How to use this calculator
Enter your weight in kg, the duration in minutes, and an intensity (MET): 3 for an easy stroll, 3.5 brisk, 5 fast or uphill. The result is an estimate — actual burn varies with terrain, fitness and pace. For general information only.
Weight must be in kilograms. If you know your weight in pounds, divide by 2.205 first — 154 lb is 70 kg. Duration is in minutes and is converted to hours internally, so 45 minutes counts as 0.75 hours.
Treat the output as gross energy expenditure, not extra energy burned. Part of it is the resting metabolism you would have spent anyway — about 70 calories an hour for a 70 kg person — so the true "bonus" from a brisk hour is closer to 175 calories. To convert a step count into distance first, use the steps to miles calculator, or see the maintenance calorie calculator for a daily baseline. This is general information, not medical advice.
Frequently asked questions
- How many calories does walking burn?
- Roughly MET × weight in kg × hours. A 70 kg person walking briskly (3.5 MET) for an hour burns about 245 calories.
- How do I make walking burn more calories?
- Walk faster, add hills, or go longer — each raises the MET value or the time, increasing the estimate.
- Does weight affect calories burned?
- Yes. Heavier people burn more for the same walk because moving more mass takes more energy.
- Is this exact?
- No, it's an estimate. Real burn depends on terrain, fitness, and walking efficiency.
- Do I enter my weight in kilograms or pounds?
- Kilograms. Divide pounds by 2.205 to convert — 180 lb is about 82 kg. Entering a pound figure directly would overstate the calorie estimate by roughly 120 percent.