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METs Calculator
Calculate a personalized MET value and calories burned based on your activity.
MET stands for Metabolic Equivalent of Task. It's a way to measure the energy cost of a physical activity.
- 1 MET is the energy you use when you're resting or sitting quietly.
- An activity with a MET value of 4 means you're using 4 times the energy than you do at rest.
- This calculator uses formulas from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and other sources to provide a more personalized estimate than a generic list.
- Calories Burned is an estimate and can vary based on individual factors like body composition, age, and gender.
Want to learn more about MET values? Watch this short video:
Watch on YouTubeWhat a MET is, in plain terms
A MET — Metabolic Equivalent of Task — is a way of describing how hard an activity works your body relative to sitting still. One MET is your resting energy cost: about 3.5 millilitres of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute, or roughly one calorie per kilogram of body weight per hour. Every activity is simply a multiple of that. Walking the dog might be 3 METs; a hard run might be 12. The beauty of the scale is that it lets you compare wildly different activities — yoga, shovelling snow, a soccer match — on the same yardstick.
How calories burned are calculated
Once you know an activity's MET value, the calories follow from a single formula:
Calories/min = MET × 3.5 × weight(kg) ÷ 200
Multiply by your minutes and you have the session total. The heavier you are, the more you burn at the same MET, because moving more mass costs more energy — which is why this calculator asks for your weight instead of handing you a generic number. For walking and running it goes a step further and derives the MET from your actual speed and incline using the ACSM metabolic equations, so a 4 mph walk uphill is correctly scored harder than a stroll on the flat.
MET values for common activities
| Activity | METs | Intensity |
|---|---|---|
| Sitting / resting | 1.0 | Baseline |
| Desk work | 1.3 | Light |
| Walking (3 mph) | 3.3 | Moderate |
| Weight training (moderate) | 4.5 | Moderate |
| Cycling (12–14 mph) | 8.0 | Vigorous |
| Running (6 mph / 10 min mile) | 9.8 | Vigorous |
| Jump rope | 12.3 | Vigorous |
Values from the Compendium of Physical Activities. Moderate activity is roughly 3–6 METs; vigorous is 6+.
Worked example
A 70 kg (154 lb) person cycles at 13 mph for 45 minutes:
- Cycling at 13 mph ≈ 8.0 METs
- Calories/min = 8.0 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 = 9.8 cal/min
- Total = 9.8 × 45 ≈ 441 calories
Turning METs into your real TDEE
A single session is only part of the picture. Your total daily energy expenditure is the sum of your resting metabolism and everything you do across the week. The main FindTDEE calculator builds your day from MET-hours of real activity instead of a vague “moderately active” multiplier — so if you want the full daily number rather than one workout, start there. You can also paste any MET value from this tool straight into it. For more on the underlying number, see what TDEE is.
Frequently asked questions
What does MET mean?
MET stands for Metabolic Equivalent of Task. One MET is the energy you burn at rest — about 3.5 millilitres of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute, which works out to roughly 1 kcal per kilogram of body weight per hour. An activity rated at 8 METs burns energy eight times faster than sitting still. It's a simple way to put every activity, from sleeping to sprinting, on one scale.
How are calories burned calculated from a MET value?
The standard formula is: calories per minute = MET × 3.5 × body weight in kg ÷ 200. Multiply by the number of minutes to get the total. For example, a 70 kg person doing an 8-MET activity for 30 minutes burns 8 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 × 30 ≈ 294 calories. This calculator does that math for you and converts your units automatically.
How accurate is a MET-based calorie estimate?
MET values are population averages, so any single estimate is typically within about 10–15% of your true burn. Your real number depends on body composition, fitness, efficiency, age, and sex — a trained athlete and a beginner moving at the same pace don't burn identically. Use the figure as a reliable ballpark and a way to compare activities, not as an exact calorie count.
Why do walking and running scale with speed and incline, but sports use a fixed number?
Walking and running energy cost rises predictably with pace and gradient, so this calculator uses the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) metabolic equations to compute a MET from your actual speed and incline. Sports, chores, and studio classes don't have a clean speed input, so they use the averaged MET value from the Compendium of Physical Activities instead.
What MET level counts as moderate or vigorous exercise?
Public-health guidelines define moderate activity as roughly 3–6 METs (brisk walking, easy cycling) and vigorous as 6 METs or more (running, fast cycling, most sports). For weight loss and fitness, total weekly volume — METs multiplied by time — matters more than hitting any single intensity.
Sources: Ainsworth BE et al., Compendium of Physical Activities; American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) metabolic equations for walking and running.
Related: TDEE calculator · Maintenance calories · What is TDEE?
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