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Stairs Calc

MET value

A metabolic-equivalent rate used to estimate calories burned climbing stairs.

A MET (metabolic equivalent of task) is the ratio of an activity's energy cost to resting metabolism: 1 MET is sitting quietly, and stair climbing runs roughly 4–8+ METs depending on pace. Calories burned ≈ MET × body weight in kg × hours. Example: a 70 kg person climbing stairs at about 8 METs for 10 minutes burns roughly 8 × 70 × (10 ÷ 60) ≈ 93 kcal. The stair-climbing calculator uses published MET values for the chosen pace, then breaks the total down per step and per flight and offers a flights-to-miles estimate. METs are population averages, so individual burn varies with fitness, gait, and whether you carry a load — treat the number as a solid estimate, not a measurement.

Try the calculator Calories Burned Climbing Stairs Calculator

Related terms

Flight An uninterrupted run of steps between floors or landings. Number of risers How many equal steps the flight has; total rise divided by target riser, rounded. Riser height The vertical height of a single step; every riser must be equal within 3⁄8 in.

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Calories Burned Climbing Stairs Calculator See how many calories you burn on the stairs — by weight, time and pace, with per‑step and per‑flight numbers and a flights‑to‑miles estimate.
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Written by the Stairs Calc editorial team. Methodology and code references: see our methodology.

Built and maintained by builders, drafters and engineers who plan stairs for a living — every code limit is transcribed from the published standard and cited to its exact section.

Last reviewed 2026-06-20 against IRC 2021/2024

Stairs Calc gives accurate geometry and checks it against published building-code limits, but results are estimates for planning. Codes are adopted and amended locally and change over time. Always confirm dimensions against your local adopted code and a licensed professional before you build.