Activity calories · 2024 Compendium METs

Calories burned walking

Quick answer

A 70 kg (154 lb) person burns about 133 kcal in 30 minutes of walking (2.8 to 3.4 mph, moderate), and about 266 kcal in an hour. That is 3.8 METs.

30 minutes: 133kcal; 70 kg (154 lb)
1 hour: 266kcal; 70 kg (154 lb)
1 hour: 228kcal; 60 kg (132 lb)
1 hour: 304kcal; 80 kg (176 lb)

How many calories walking burns depends mostly on how fast you go and how much you weigh. The Compendium lists a separate MET value for each speed band on level, firm ground, so the table below follows pace rather than a single average. Hills, loads and soft ground such as sand or grass raise the figure, and each has its own entry.

Calculate calories burned walking

Starts at 70 kg (154 lb) for 30 minutes of walking at 3.8 METs; enter your own weight and time.

Calories burned walking by weight and time

Kilocalories for walking at 3.8 METs (2.8 to 3.4 mph, moderate), by body weight and minutes. Read across from your weight; the pace table below shows the other rows.

Calories burned walking at 3.8 METs, by body weight and duration
Body weight	15 min	30 min	45 min	1 hour	1.5 hours	2 hours
50 kg (110 lb)	48	95	143	190	285	380
60 kg (132 lb)	57	114	171	228	342	456
70 kg (154 lb)	67	133	200	266	399	532
80 kg (176 lb)	76	152	228	304	456	608
90 kg (198 lb)	86	171	257	342	513	684
100 kg (220 lb)	95	190	285	380	570	760
110 kg (243 lb)	105	209	314	418	627	836

Walking: calories by pace or effort

The Compendium rates walking on 7 lines, from 2.8 METs (2.0 to 2.4 mph, slow) up to 8.5 METs (5.0 to 5.5 mph). Each row below is one of those codes with the calories it works out to.

Calories burned walking by pace or effort
Pace or effort	Compendium code	METs	30 min, 60 kg (132 lb)	30 min, 70 kg (154 lb)	30 min, 80 kg (176 lb)	1 hour, 70 kg (154 lb)
2.0 to 2.4 mph, slow	17152	2.8	84	98	112	196
2.5 mph, steady	17170	3	90	105	120	210
2.8 to 3.4 mph, moderate	17190	3.8	114	133	152	266
3.5 to 3.9 mph, brisk	17200	4.8	144	168	192	336
4.0 to 4.4 mph, very brisk	17220	5.5	165	193	220	385
4.5 to 4.9 mph, very, very brisk	17230	7	210	245	280	490
5.0 to 5.5 mph	17231	8.5	255	298	340	595

The Compendium’s own wording for each code: 17152, “Walking, 2.0 to 2.4 mph, level, slow pace, firm surface”; 17170, “Walking, 2.5 mph, firm, level surface”; 17190, “Walking, 2.8 to 3.4 mph, level, moderate pace, firm surface”; 17200, “Walking, 3.5 to 3.9 mph, level, brisk, firm surface, walking for exercise”; 17220, “Walking, 4.0 to 4.4 mph (6.4 to 7.1 km/h), level, firm surface, very brisk pace”; 17230, “Walking, 4.5 to 4.9 mph, level, firm surface, very, very brisk”; 17231, “Walking, 5.0 to 5.5 mph (8.8 to 8.9 km/h), level, firm surface”.

Walking calories per mile and per kilometre

The same Compendium values worked per mile instead of per minute: it takes less time to walk a mile at a faster pace, so the MET value is spread over fewer minutes. Gross kilocalories, including the energy spent at rest.

Gross calories burned walking one mile, by pace and body weight
Pace	METs	1 mile, 60 kg (132 lb)	1 mile, 70 kg (154 lb)	1 mile, 80 kg (176 lb)	1 km, 70 kg (154 lb)
2 mph (3.2 km/h), slow	2.8	84	98	112	61
2.5 mph (4.0 km/h), steady	3	72	84	96	52
3 mph (4.8 km/h), moderate	3.8	76	89	101	55
3.5 mph (5.6 km/h), brisk	4.8	82	96	110	60
4 mph (6.4 km/h), very brisk	5.5	83	96	110	60
4.5 mph (7.2 km/h), very, very brisk	7	93	109	124	68

Counting steps rather than minutes? The steps to calories calculator turns a step count, your weight and a pace into calories with these values. The steps to distance calculator gives the miles or kilometres.

What changes the number for walking

Pace is the biggest lever. The hardest listed way of walking (5.0 to 5.5 mph) is rated at 8.5 METs, 3.0 times the 2.8 METs of the gentlest (2.0 to 2.4 mph, slow). For a 70 kg (154 lb) person that is 595 kcal an hour against 196 kcal.

Body weight is the second: the same 3.8 METs of walking for 30 minutes comes to 95 kcal at 50 kg (110 lb) and 209 kcal at 110 kg (243 lb). To reach 100 kcal at 70 kg (154 lb) takes about 23 minutes at the starting pace.

Laid out in half-hour terms for 70 kg (154 lb): 2.0 to 2.4 mph, slow is 98 kcal; 2.5 mph, steady is 105 kcal; 2.8 to 3.4 mph, moderate is 133 kcal; 3.5 to 3.9 mph, brisk is 168 kcal; 4.0 to 4.4 mph, very brisk is 193 kcal; 4.5 to 4.9 mph, very, very brisk is 245 kcal; 5.0 to 5.5 mph is 298 kcal.

How the calories are worked out

The formula is calories = MET × body weight in kg × hours. A MET compares an activity with sitting quietly, which is 1 MET and is taken as roughly 1 kcal per kilogram per hour. That equivalence is an approximation, which is why every figure is rounded and called about.

For walking at 3.8 METs, a 70 kg (154 lb) person for 30 minutes: 3.8 × 70 × 0.5 = 133 kcal. This is a gross figure: it includes the energy your body would spend at rest in the same time.

The MET values are those of the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities (Herrmann SD, Willis EA, Ainsworth BE, et al., J Sport Health Sci 2024), read from its activity list on 2026-10-23 and copied with their codes. They are averages for adults; see how we calculate.

Frequently asked questions

How many calories does a 70 kg person burn walking in 30 minutes?

About 133 kcal at 3.8 METs (2.8 to 3.4 mph, moderate). The whole range for walking on this page runs from 98 kcal (2.0 to 2.4 mph, slow) to 298 kcal (5.0 to 5.5 mph) in the same half hour.

How many calories does walking burn in an hour?

At 3.8 METs, about 228 kcal for a 60 kg (132 lb) person, 266 kcal at 70 kg (154 lb) and 304 kcal at 80 kg (176 lb). Heavier people burn more because they move more mass.

How long does walking take to burn 100 calories?

For a 70 kg (154 lb) person, about 23 minutes at 3.8 METs (2.8 to 3.4 mph, moderate). At the gentlest listed pace (2.0 to 2.4 mph, slow, 2.8 METs) it takes 31 minutes, and at the hardest (5.0 to 5.5 mph, 8.5 METs) about 10.

Does the number for walking include the calories I would burn anyway?

Yes. Of the 3.8 METs, 1 is the resting cost, about 26% of the total here, so the activity itself adds about 98 of the 133 kcal in 30 minutes at 70 kg (154 lb).

Why would my watch show a different number for walking?

A watch uses its own model, often with heart rate, age and sex, while this page uses the Compendium’s average. For walking that average already spans 7 entries from 2.8 to 8.5 METs, a 3.0-fold range, so a gap between the two is normal.

Which line in the table should I choose for walking?

Pick the row that best describes how you did it: this page starts from “2.8 to 3.4 mph, moderate”, about 18% of the way up the 2.8 to 8.5 MET range. The rows are separate Compendium entries (17152, 17170, 17190, 17200, 17220, 17230, 17231).

Put the number next to what you eat

An activity estimate is one side of the day. CalorTracker logs the other side: snap a photo, say what you ate or type it, and the AI estimates the calories and macros for you to check. Free to start.

Start free on the web

These are estimates for healthy adults from average MET values. How much you actually burn varies with your fitness, body composition, technique, terrain and conditions, so use the figures as a guide, not a measurement. This is not medical advice.