Calculating your body surface area (mosteller) is straightforward once you know the Body Surface Area formula and what each input means. This guide explains the method in plain language, walks through a manual calculation, and gives worked examples you can follow — then you can do it instantly with the Body Surface Area Calculator.
What is Body Surface Area?
The Body Surface Area calculation tells you your body surface area (mosteller) from a few simple inputs. The figure you are solving for here is the body surface area (mosteller).
The Body Surface Area formula
The core formula is:
Body surface area (Mosteller) = √(Height × Weight ÷ 3600)Here is what each input means:
- Weight — a value measured in kg. Example: 70 kg.
- Height — a value measured in cm. Example: 170 cm.
How to calculate it step by step
- Write down the weight (for example, 70 kg).
- Write down the height (for example, 170 cm).
- Apply the formula above to get your body surface area (mosteller).
- Double-check the result with the Body Surface Area Calculator.
Worked examples
Example 1
| Input / Output | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 70 kg |
| Height | 170 cm |
| Body surface area (Mosteller) | 1.818 |
| BSA (Du Bois) | 1.810 |
With weight of 70 kg and height of 170 cm, the body surface area (mosteller) works out to 1.818.
Example 2
With weight of 140 kg and height of 170 cm, the body surface area (mosteller) works out to 2.571.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Body surface area (Mosteller) | 2.571 |
| BSA (Du Bois) | 2.430 |
Example 3
With weight of 35 kg and height of 170 cm, the body surface area (mosteller) works out to 1.286.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Body surface area (Mosteller) | 1.286 |
| BSA (Du Bois) | 1.348 |
Tips for an accurate result
- Keep your units consistent — mixing, say, months with years or grams with kilograms is the most common source of error.
- Round only at the very end. Rounding inputs early can shift the final answer noticeably.
- Re-run the numbers whenever an input changes, rather than estimating from an old result.
- These figures are general estimates, not medical advice — check with a qualified professional before acting on them.
Prefer not to do the maths by hand? — the Body Surface Area Calculator does it instantly, for free, with the formula and a worked example built in.
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