Walking calorie calculator
How many calories you burn walking depends on three things: how much you weigh, how fast you go and how steep it is. Put in yours.
Your weight is remembered on this device only.
Calories burned walking a mile, by weight and speed
Gross calories per mile on flat ground. Notice the jump above 4 mph: past that speed, walking becomes mechanically awkward and each mile costs more, not less.
| Weight | 2.5 mph | 3.0 mph | 3.5 mph | 4.0 mph | 4.5 mph |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120 lb · 54 kg | 65 | 64 | 67 | 68 | 85 |
| 140 lb · 64 kg | 76 | 74 | 78 | 79 | 99 |
| 160 lb · 73 kg | 87 | 85 | 89 | 91 | 113 |
| 180 lb · 82 kg | 98 | 95 | 100 | 102 | 127 |
| 200 lb · 91 kg | 109 | 106 | 111 | 113 | 141 |
| 220 lb · 100 kg | 120 | 116 | 123 | 125 | 155 |
| 250 lb · 113 kg | 136 | 132 | 139 | 142 | 176 |
| 300 lb · 136 kg | 163 | 159 | 167 | 170 | 212 |
Hills beat speed
On the flat, the calories you burn per mile barely change between 2.5 and 4 mph — you just finish sooner. Past about 4 mph the line bends upward as walking gets inefficient.
Add a slope and the whole line lifts. Raising the treadmill a few percent adds more per mile than any speed you could comfortably walk. Drag the incline to see it for a 75 kg (165 lb) walker.
■ flat · ■ 5% incline — at 3 mph: 88 vs 139 kcal per mile
How accurate is a walking calorie estimate?
MET-based numbers are population averages and can be 10–20% off for any individual — fitness, walking economy and body composition all shift it. Wrist trackers vary even more. Use the figure to compare walks with each other rather than to count every calorie.
Counting steps instead of minutes? Try steps to calories. Carrying a pack? The rucking calorie calculator accounts for the load.
Questions walkers ask
How many calories does walking burn?
Roughly 80–110 calories per mile for a 150–200 lb person walking at 3 mph on the flat. Heavier people, faster speeds and hills all burn more. A 45-minute brisk walk typically burns 180–300 calories.
How many calories does walking a mile burn?
A common rule of thumb is about 0.5 calories per pound of body weight per mile at a normal pace — about 75 calories for a 150 lb walker and 100 for a 200 lb walker. Walking faster than ~4 mph raises the cost per mile noticeably.
How is this calculated?
Calories = MET × body weight (kg) × hours. MET values come from the Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth et al., 2011) for level walking at each speed; incline adds the ACSM grade term (1.8 × speed in m/min × grade).
What is the difference between gross and net calories?
Gross includes the energy you would have burned anyway just being alive (about 1 MET). Net subtracts it, showing the extra burn from walking. Fitness trackers usually report gross; net is more honest for weight-loss maths.
Does incline walking burn more calories?
Yes, a lot. At 3 mph a 10% incline roughly doubles the energy cost compared with flat ground — that is why treadmill routines like 12-3-30 feel so hard at a walking speed.