Body Surface Area Calculator
Calculate body surface area (BSA) using Mosteller, DuBois, and Haycock formulas. Used for drug dosing, burn assessment, and clinical applications. Includes chemotherapy dose examples.
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BSA — Mosteller Formula
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BSA — DuBois Formula —
Drug Dosing Example (100 mg/m²) —
Extended More scenarios, charts & detailed breakdown ▾
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BSA — Mosteller
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BSA in Square Feet —
100 mg/m² Dose —
Professional Full parameters & maximum detail ▾
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BSA by Formula
BSA — Mosteller —
BSA — DuBois —
BSA — Haycock —
Average of All 3 —
Chemotherapy Dosing (example reference only — not clinical advice)
5-FU: 500 mg/m² —
Carboplatin: 350 mg/m² —
Doxorubicin: 60 mg/m² —
Vincristine: 1.4 mg/m² —
Burn Assessment (Rule of Nines)
Burn Area (m²) —
Parkland Fluid (mL, first 24h) —
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter your Weight in pounds and Height in total inches (e.g., 5'10" = 70 inches).
- Select units — imperial (lbs/inches) or metric (kg/cm).
- See BSA calculated by Mosteller and DuBois formulas instantly.
- Use the Haycock tab for pediatric BSA calculation.
- Use the Professional tab for all 3 formulas side-by-side, chemo dose examples, and burn area assessment.
Formula
Mosteller: BSA (m²) = √(Height(cm) × Weight(kg) / 3600)
DuBois: BSA = 0.007184 × H(cm)^0.725 × W(kg)^0.425
Haycock (pediatric): BSA = 0.024265 × H(cm)^0.3964 × W(kg)^0.5378
Burn area (m²) = BSA × (% TBSA / 100)
DuBois: BSA = 0.007184 × H(cm)^0.725 × W(kg)^0.425
Haycock (pediatric): BSA = 0.024265 × H(cm)^0.3964 × W(kg)^0.5378
Burn area (m²) = BSA × (% TBSA / 100)
Example
Example: Person 5'10" (70 inches / 177.8 cm), 170 lbs (77.1 kg).
Mosteller: √(177.8 × 77.1 / 3600) = 1.95 m²
DuBois: 0.007184 × 177.8^0.725 × 77.1^0.425 = 1.93 m²
At 100 mg/m², dose would be ~195 mg.
Mosteller: √(177.8 × 77.1 / 3600) = 1.95 m²
DuBois: 0.007184 × 177.8^0.725 × 77.1^0.425 = 1.93 m²
At 100 mg/m², dose would be ~195 mg.
Frequently Asked Questions
- BSA is used primarily in medicine to calculate drug doses, especially chemotherapy agents. It is a better predictor of metabolic mass than weight alone. BSA is also used in burn treatment to estimate burn area and fluid resuscitation needs.
- The Mosteller formula (√(Height × Weight / 3600)) is the most widely used due to its simplicity. The DuBois formula (0.007184 × H^0.725 × W^0.425) was the original and is common in European literature. For children, the Haycock formula is preferred.
- The average BSA for an adult man is approximately 1.9 m² and for an adult woman approximately 1.6 m². A BSA of 1.7 m² is often used as a standard reference value in pharmacology.
- The Rule of Nines estimates total burn surface area (%TBSA): Head and neck = 9%, each arm = 9%, each leg = 18%, anterior torso = 18%, posterior torso = 18%, perineum = 1%. This percentage is then applied to actual BSA (m²) to estimate burn area.
Related Calculators
Sources & References (5) ▾
- Du Bois D & Du Bois EF — A formula to estimate the approximate surface area if height and weight be known. Arch Intern Med. 1916;17(6):863-871 — Archives of Internal Medicine
- Mosteller RD — Simplified calculation of body-surface area. N Engl J Med. 1987;317(17):1098 — New England Journal of Medicine
- Haycock GB et al. — Geometric method for measuring body surface area: A height-weight formula validated in infants, children, and adults. J Pediatr. 1978;93(1):62-66 — Journal of Pediatrics
- Kaestner SA & Sewell GJ — Chemotherapy dosing part I: scientific basis for current practice and use of body surface area. Clin Oncol. 2007;19(1):23-37 — Clinical Oncology
- MDCalc — Body Surface Area (BSA) Calculator — MDCalc