📏 Body Surface Area Calculator
Calculate your body surface area (BSA) using the Mosteller formula, with a DuBois formula comparison.
Your Measurements
Your Result
BSA is commonly used in medicine to calculate medication dosages and clinical indices. Always follow a healthcare provider's dosing guidance rather than a calculator.
How the Body Surface Area Calculator Works
Body surface area (BSA) estimates the total surface area of your body, in square meters, using height and weight. It's widely used in medicine for calculating drug dosages, especially chemotherapy, and other clinical measurements.
Formula
DuBois: BSA (m²) = 0.007184 × weight (kg)^0.425 × height (cm)^0.725
Mosteller vs. DuBois
The Mosteller formula is simpler to calculate and widely used in clinical practice today. The DuBois formula, developed in 1916, was one of the earliest and is still used for comparison and in some clinical contexts. The two formulas typically produce results within a few percent of each other.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is BSA used for?
BSA is used in medicine to calculate drug dosages (particularly chemotherapy), cardiac index, and other measurements that scale better with body surface area than with weight alone.
Which BSA formula is most accurate?
Both Mosteller and DuBois are widely accepted and produce similar results. Mosteller is simpler and commonly preferred in modern clinical settings.
What is an average adult BSA?
Average adult BSA is roughly 1.6 to 1.9 m², though it varies significantly with height and weight.