Stair Climbing — Calories Burned Calculator
Climbing stairs at a general pace, on a stair machine or real building stairs. Carrying a load, skipping steps or using the handrail all move the real cost away from this value. The Compendium of Physical Activities lists Stair climbing, general at 9 METs: at 154 lb (70 kg) that is about 330 kcal in 30 minutes, 293 kcal of it above rest.
Stair Climbing — Calories Burned Calculator reference last updated · reference source
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Dated static reference; no live data is fetched. Verify current source values and assumptions before relying on results.
What this tool does
Climbing stairs at a general pace, on a stair machine or real building stairs. Carrying a load, skipping steps or using the handrail all move the real cost away from this value. The Compendium of Physical Activities lists Stair climbing, general at 9 METs: at 154 lb (70 kg) that is about 330 kcal in 30 minutes, 293 kcal of it above rest.
How to use the Stair Climbing — Calories Burned Calculator
- Check Activity (Compendium MET): 9.
- Review the Stair Climbing — Calories Burned Calculator result and its exact-value comparison table.
- Verify assumptions before applying the result.
Formula
gross kcal = MET × 3.5 × weight kg / 200 × minutes; net above-rest kcal = (MET − 1) × 3.5 × kg / 200 × minutes (Compendium of Physical Activities)
- met
- Activity (Compendium MET)
- weight
- Body weight (lb, before metric conversion)
- minutes
- Activity minutes
MET values are Compendium general-activity values (Ainsworth et al.); individual speed, grade, technique and physiology change actual energy use. The §C preset activity pages reuse this same MET table.
Worked example
Stair Climbing — Calories Burned Calculator: Activity (Compendium MET) = 9. Climbing stairs at a general pace, on a stair machine or real building stairs. Carrying a load, skipping steps or using the handrail all move the real cost away from this value. The Compendium of Physical Activities lists Stair climbing, general at 9 METs: at 154 lb (70 kg) that is about 330 kcal in 30 minutes, 293 kcal of it above rest.
Inputs
- Activity (Compendium MET)Stair climbing, general — MET 9
- Body weight154 lb
- Activity minutes30
Result
- Estimated gross calories (kcal)330.06
- Estimated net calories above rest (kcal)293.38
Stair Climbing calories by duration at 154 lb (70 kg)
| Duration | Gross kcal | Net kcal above rest |
|---|---|---|
| 15 min | 165 | 147 |
| 30 min | 330 | 293 |
| 45 min | 495 | 440 |
| 60 min | 660 | 587 |
| 90 min | 990 | 880 |
| 120 min | 1320 | 1174 |
Results explained
- Estimated gross calories (kcal)
- Estimated gross calories (kcal) from the formula above. MET values are Compendium general-activity values (Ainsworth et al.); individual speed, grade, technique and physiology change actual energy use. The §C preset activity pages reuse this same MET table.
- Estimated net calories above rest (kcal)
- Estimated net calories above rest (kcal) from the formula above. MET values are Compendium general-activity values (Ainsworth et al.); individual speed, grade, technique and physiology change actual energy use. The §C preset activity pages reuse this same MET table.
Frequently asked questions
About 330 kcal gross at 154 lb (70 kg) using the Compendium value of 9 METs — 293 kcal above what you would burn resting.
About 660 kcal per hour at 154 lb, or roughly 110 kcal every 10 minutes. Scale in proportion to your own body weight.
9 METs, the Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth et al.) value for "Stair climbing, general". One MET is resting energy use, so this activity costs about 9 times the resting rate.
About 45 minutes at 154 lb at the full 9 MET intensity. Rest breaks and lower-effort stretches extend the real time needed.
The formula scales with body weight: at 120 lb the same 30 minutes costs about 257 kcal and at 200 lb about 429 kcal. Technique, terrain and fitness shift the individual result further, typically by ±15–20%.