Stairs Calorie Calculator — Calories Burned Climbing Stairs
Find how many calories you burn climbing stairs based on your body weight, the number of floors, and your pace — from slow to vigorous stair climbing.
kg
Weight unit
floors
Pace
3.3 min · 3.59 kcal/floor
- 1
Calories per minute
8.8 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 = 10.78MET × 3.5 × weight(kg) ÷ 200 — the ACSM energy-expenditure formula. - 2
Duration
10 floors ÷ 3 floors/min = 3.33 min - 3
Calories burned
10.78 × 3.33 = 35.9
How does this calculator work?
Calories burned climbing stairs = (MET × 3.5 × body weight kg ÷ 200) × minutes. At moderate pace (MET 8.8, ~3 floors/min), a 70 kg person burns about 1.7 kcal per floor. Heavier weight and higher pace both increase burn rate; pace also reduces duration, so total calories per floor are roughly pace-independent.
Formula
How this is calculated
The calculation uses the MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) method from the 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth et al.), the standard reference for exercise energy expenditure. MET represents how many times more energy an activity uses compared to sitting quietly (1 MET ≈ 3.5 mL O₂/kg/min at rest). Stair climbing MET values: slow ≈ 4.0, moderate/typical ≈ 8.8, fast/vigorous ≈ 12.0. The calorie burn rate in kcal per minute is: MET × 3.5 × body weight in kg ÷ 200 (the ACSM formula).
Climbing speed determines how long the exercise lasts. Typical rates: slow ≈ 1.5 floors/min, moderate ≈ 3.0 floors/min, fast ≈ 5.0 floors/min. A "floor" is taken as one flight of stairs (roughly 10–16 steps, about 3 m vertical). Total calories = kcal/min × total minutes. Interestingly, because MET and pace both increase together, the calories burned per floor are nearly constant across paces — the main effect of going faster is finishing in less time, not burning more calories.
Results are estimates. Real energy expenditure depends on fitness level, exact step height, additional load carried, stair type, and individual metabolism. Pounds are converted to kilograms at 1 lb = 0.453592 kg.
Frequently asked questions
Roughly 3–5 kcal per flight for a 70 kg (154 lb) person, depending on pace. At moderate pace (MET 8.8, 3 floors/min), a 70 kg person burns about 5.1 kcal/min, or about 1.7 kcal per floor. A lighter person burns fewer calories, a heavier person burns more.
Yes — stair climbing has a MET of 8.8 at a moderate pace, making it a vigorous aerobic activity that burns more calories per minute than brisk walking (MET ≈ 3.5). Consistently climbing 10 floors a day can burn an extra 50–100 kcal daily depending on body weight.
Yes, but fewer — descending stairs has a MET of roughly 3.2 (slow) to 5.0 (fast), about one third to one half of ascending. This calculator covers ascending only; for a descent calculation, reduce the pace MET accordingly.
Also known as
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Stairs Calorie Calculator — Calories Burned Climbing Stairs [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/stairs-calorie-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Stairs Calorie Calculator — Calories Burned Climbing Stairs." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/stairs-calorie-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Stairs Calorie Calculator — Calories Burned Climbing Stairs," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/stairs-calorie-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_stairs_calorie_calculator, title = {Stairs Calorie Calculator — Calories Burned Climbing Stairs}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/stairs-calorie-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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