How many calories do you burn walking for an hour?

The short answer

About 300 calories, for an adult of average height who weighs 70 kg (154 lb) walking at a normal pace of 5 km/h (3.1 mph). At a stroll it is about 250, and at a brisk 6 km/h (3.7 mph) about 360. Weight matters as much as pace: the same brisk hour is about 280 calories at 55 kg (121 lb) and about 510 at 100 kg (220 lb).

Calories per hour, by weight and pace

Body weight	Stroll, 4 km/h (2.5 mph)	Normal, 5 km/h (3.1 mph)	Brisk, 6 km/h (3.7 mph)
55 kg (121 lb)	about 190	about 230	about 280
70 kg (154 lb)	about 250	about 300	about 360
85 kg (187 lb)	about 300	about 360	about 440
100 kg (220 lb)	about 350	about 420	about 510

For an adult of average height, about 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in), on level ground, from a model of walking energy built on height, weight and speed, which tested within a few percent of measured values. Calories rounded to the nearest 10.

Why pace matters per hour, but not per mile

For a set distance, pace barely changes the total: walking faster burns calories quicker, but you finish sooner. For a set time, it is different. A brisk hour covers 6 km instead of 4, so it burns more. In this model, going from a stroll to a brisk walk adds about 45% to the calories in an hour, while the calories per mile stay almost the same. Our calories per mile page has the per-distance figures.

Why your watch may show less

These are total calories, including what your body burns anyway just by being alive. Apple Watch counts only the calories on top of that in its Move ring, so an hour at a normal pace at 70 kg shows as about 220 rather than 300.

How far is an hour of walking?

About 4 km (2.5 miles) at a stroll, 5 km (3.1 miles) at a normal pace and 6 km (3.7 miles) briskly, or roughly 6,000 steps at a moderate 100 steps a minute. See how many steps in an hour of walking.

Your own number

The walking calories calculator works it out for your own weight, height and distance.

A goal for every walk

Walking is easy to skip when it leads nowhere in particular. reTrek gives your walks a finish line: pick a famous route, like the Camino de Santiago or the Inca Trail, and every walk moves you further along it, with a short film about the place waiting at each milestone. You stop looking for a spare moment to walk and start walking to reach the next milestone.

Everest Base Camp is free. Get reTrek.