About the Body Surface Area Calculator

Body Surface Area (BSA) is an estimate of the total surface area of your body, commonly used by doctors to calculate medication dosages and assess certain health conditions.

Formula Used

BSA (m²) = √[ height(cm) × weight(kg) / 3600 ]

How It Works

This calculator uses the Mosteller formula, a simple and widely used method: BSA = square root of (height in cm \u00d7 weight in kg / 3600).

Step by Step

Enter your height in centimetres and weight in kilograms.
Multiply the two values together and divide by 3600.
Take the square root of the result to get your BSA in square metres.

Worked Example

Example: A person 170 cm tall weighing 65 kg:

BSA = √(170×65/3600) = √3.069 ≈ 1.75 m²

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is BSA used instead of weight alone?

BSA correlates more closely with metabolic processes than weight alone, making it more accurate for certain drug dosing calculations.

Is the Mosteller formula the only one?

No, other formulas like Du Bois and Haycock exist, but Mosteller is widely used for its simplicity and accuracy.

What is a typical adult BSA?

Average adult BSA is roughly 1.6 to 1.9 square metres, though this varies with height and weight.

CALCULATOR EXPERT

Body Surface Area Calculator