How many calories you burn walking depends on three things: how much you weigh, how fast you walk, and for how long. The calculator above takes those inputs and returns calories burned. It uses the same MET-based formula clinical research relies on — accurate to within 10–15% for healthy adults.
The MET formula
Calories per minute ≈ MET × weight (kg) × 0.0175. METs (metabolic equivalents) are: 2.8 for slow walking, 3.5 for moderate, 5.0 for brisk, 6.5–8 for power walking and jogging. So a 70 kg adult walking briskly for 30 minutes burns 5.0 × 70 × 0.0175 × 30 = 184 kcal.
Common totals
30-min moderate walk (5 km/h, 70 kg adult): ~130 kcal. 60-min walk: ~260 kcal. 10,000 daily steps at moderate pace: ~370 kcal. The same 10,000 at brisk pace: ~520 kcal. Pace adjustments do more than step count adjustments.
Why your watch may give different numbers
Watches that read heart rate use a different model — they estimate calorie burn from HR, not pace. For walking, the two methods usually agree within ~15%. Where they diverge: hilly terrain (HR-based gives higher), efficient walkers in great shape (HR-based gives lower than pace-based for the same effort).
Inclines and incidental movement
Walking up a 5% grade adds about 1 MET to the calorie cost. A 10% grade adds about 2.5 METs — so flat 5 km/h walking is 3.5 METs, but on a 10% grade it's ~6.0 METs (closer to a jog's caloric cost). This is why hilly walks feel disproportionately tiring — they are.
FAQ
- Why does my fitness app say more calories than this calculator?
- Many apps include BMR (your baseline burn just from being alive) in their walking-calorie totals. This calculator returns *additional* calories from the walk only.
- Is the calculator accurate for the elderly?
- For healthy seniors, yes — accurate to ~15%. People with significant cardiac or metabolic conditions may burn more or less than the model predicts.