Body Surface Area Calculator

Estimate body surface area from height and weight.

The area of your skin

Body surface area is an estimate of the total area of your body's surface, calculated from height and weight. It is used mainly in clinical settings — for dosing certain medications and assessing some medical measures — where it can be more relevant than weight alone.

Enter your height and weight to estimate body surface area.

A clinical measure, used carefully

Body surface area matters most in medicine, where some drug doses, particularly in areas like chemotherapy, and certain physiological measures are scaled to it rather than to weight, because it better reflects metabolic size for those purposes. Several formulas exist, giving slightly different estimates, and all are approximations from height and weight rather than a true measurement. Because its main uses are clinical, the figure is really meaningful in the hands of a healthcare professional applying it to a specific medical purpose. This is general information, not medical advice; any clinical use of body surface area, such as medication dosing, is strictly a matter for qualified medical professionals.

Questions & answers

What is body surface area used for?

Mainly clinical purposes — dosing certain medications and assessing some medical measures where it is more relevant than weight alone.

Why are there different formulas?

Several estimation formulas exist, each giving a slightly different figure, and all are approximations from height and weight, not a true measurement.

Is this medical advice?

No — it is general information. Any clinical use, such as medication dosing, is strictly a matter for qualified medical professionals.

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