Calculator — body surface area
Body surface area calculator
Calculate body surface area in m² from height and weight, and the dose per m².
Short answer: Body surface area in m² comes from the Mosteller formula: the square root of (height in cm × weight in kg ÷ 3600). A person who is 170 cm tall and weighs 70 kg has about 1.82 m².
Body surface area calculator
Enter height and weight. Add the dose per m² if you want the total dose.
Calculate body surface area
The formula
Body surface area (m²) = √( Height (cm) × Weight (kg) ÷ 3600 )
Example: 170 cm and 70 kg. 170 × 70 = 11,900. 11,900 ÷ 3600 = 3.31. √3.31 ≈ 1.82 m².
Good to know: There are several formulas for body surface area. Use the one your course specifies. Read more about dose per kg and m².
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate body surface area?+
The square root of (height in cm × weight in kg ÷ 3600), according to Mosteller.
What does mg/m² mean?+
Milligrams per square metre of body surface area. Multiply by the patient's body surface area to get the dose.
Are all body surface area formulas the same?+
No. There are several, so use the one your course specifies.
Practise dose per kg and m² in Dos
Dos is a practice app for drug calculations. It has practice tests of ten questions, a built-in calculator next to each question, and statistics per topic.
