Health & Fitness

Body Surface Area (BSA) Calculator

BSA is used to scale drug doses and cardiac output.

By TheCalcTools Updated Formula checked and tested

Your numbers

Your results

Mosteller (m²)
Mosteller (m²)
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Du Bois (m²)
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Haycock (m²)
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Body Surface Area (BSA) Calculator by TheCalcTools

How the Body Surface Area (BSA) Calculator works

Enter height in centimetres and weight in kilograms.

Each formula estimates the skin surface area from these two values.

Mosteller’s is the simplest and the most widely used.

The formula

Mosteller: BSA = √(height × weight ÷ 3600)Du Bois: 0.007184 × W^0.425 × H^0.725

Worked example

Using the default values shown in the calculator:

Height (cm)175
Weight (kg)70
  1. Mosteller: √(175 × 70 ÷ 3,600) = 1.845 m².
  2. Du Bois gives 1.848 m² and Haycock 1.847 m².

Result:

Mosteller (m²)1.845
Du Bois (m²)1.848
Haycock (m²)1.847

Frequently asked questions

What is BSA used for?

Clinicians use it to scale chemotherapy doses and to index measurements such as cardiac output. Doses must be set by a clinician.

What is a typical value?

About 1.7 m² for an average adult woman and 1.9 m² for an average man.

Sources and further reading

BMI CalculatorCalculate your body mass index (BMI) from your height and weight, see which adult… Lean Body Mass CalculatorHow much of your weight is not fat? Body Fat CalculatorEstimate your body fat percentage from a tape measure, using the U.S Ideal Weight CalculatorSee what four classic formulas suggest for your height Healthy Weight Range CalculatorWhat weights fall in the normal BMI range for your height? Waist-to-Hip Ratio CalculatorMeasure your waist and hips to get your ratio

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This calculator gives general estimates for information and education. It is not medical advice and does not diagnose anything. Talk to a qualified health professional about your own situation. See our disclaimer.