Goal
Estimate body surface area from height and weight using selectable Mosteller, DuBois, or Haycock equations and compare the outputs without hiding formula differences.
Body Surface Area (BSA) Estimator
Estimate body surface area from height and weight using selectable Mosteller, DuBois, or Haycock equations and compare the outputs without hiding formula differences.
Key facts
- What it does
- Estimate body surface area from height and weight using selectable Mosteller, DuBois, or Haycock equations and compare the outputs without hiding formula differences.
- Formula
Mosteller = √[(height cm × weight kg)/3600]; DuBois = 0.007184 × height^0.725 × weight^0.425; Haycock = 0.024265 × height^0.3964 × weight^0.5378.- You enter
- Height · Weight · Primary formula
- Worked example
- Mosteller BSA = √[(175 × 70)/3600] = approximately 1.85 m²; the other formula estimates are shown beside it.
A clearer path to an answer
From your question to a useful result
This page keeps the calculation transparent: define the goal, enter the matching values, inspect the method, and decide what the result means in your situation.
Inputs
Height · Weight · Primary formula
Method
Mosteller = √[(height cm × weight kg)/3600]; DuBois = 0.007184 × height^0.725 × weight^0.425; Haycock = 0.024265 × height^0.3964 × weight^0.5378.
Next step
Calculate, review the assumptions below, then compare a related tool when the decision needs more context.
Body Surface Area (BSA) Estimator
Estimate body surface area from height and weight using selectable Mosteller, DuBois, or Haycock equations and compare the outputs without hiding formula differences.
Open the Body Surface Area (BSA) Estimator pageMore health tools
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Result
Enter your values above and choose Calculate to see the result here.
Calculation map
Follow the path from input to answer
01
Inputs (3)
- Height Ready
- Weight Ready
- Primary formula Ready
02
Formula
Mosteller = √[(height cm × weight kg)/3600]; DuBois = 0.007184 × height^0.725 × weight^0.425; Haycock = 0.024265 × height^0.3964 × weight^0.5378.
Bounded, transparent calculation
03
Result
- Calculate to preview the result.
Recent runs
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Formula, assumptions, and example
Formula: Mosteller = √[(height cm × weight kg)/3600]; DuBois = 0.007184 × height^0.725 × weight^0.425; Haycock = 0.024265 × height^0.3964 × weight^0.5378.
The chosen equation is highlighted and all three common estimates are shown for comparison. This makes formula choice explicit because different equations can produce slightly different values, especially outside the populations in which they were developed.
- Height is entered in centimeters and weight in kilograms.
- The result is an estimated surface area in square meters, not a direct physical measurement.
- Mosteller, DuBois, and Haycock are calculated independently rather than averaged.
- The selected method is a display preference and does not determine whether a clinician should use BSA for a treatment.
- Formula differences can matter for children, obesity, unusual body proportions, and other populations.
- The calculator does not convert BSA into a medication dose, infusion rate, or treatment plan.
- Use accurate, contemporaneous height and weight measurements when the result is used for professional review.
- A clinical protocol may require a different formula or a measured value; follow the responsible service’s instructions.
Worked example: Mosteller BSA = √[(175 × 70)/3600] = approximately 1.85 m²; the other formula estimates are shown beside it.
Displayed input contract
- Height · minimum 30 · maximum 250
- Weight · minimum 1 · maximum 300
- Primary formula · 3 choices
The displayed limits are checked before the handler runs. Model-specific domain checks may also reject impossible or non-finite inputs.
Methodology: This calculator follows the WorldCalculate input, formula, precision, and boundary policy. Read the official methodology.
Calculator usage statistics
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Answer-first guide
How to use the Body Surface Area (BSA) Estimator for a real question
Estimate body surface area from height and weight using selectable Mosteller, DuBois, or Haycock equations and compare the outputs without hiding formula differences. Start with one clearly defined goal, enter values in the units shown, and keep the result attached to the assumptions below.
What this answers
This tool is useful when your question includes body surface area calculator, BSA calculator, Mosteller formula. It returns the outputs declared in the calculator contract rather than a live quote, approval, diagnosis, or professional sign-off.
What you enter
Height · Weight · Primary formula. Keep the same time period, unit system, and currency wherever the form requires comparable values.
How to check it
Run the worked example first, compare its output with the page's example, then change one input at a time. This makes an unexpected result easier to trace to a unit, boundary, or assumption.
Three checks before you rely on the answer
- Match the question. Confirm that the result means the quantity you need, not a similar-sounding percentage, balance, rate, or estimate.
- Match the inputs. Use the requested units and period, and read each hint before replacing the example values with your own.
- Read the boundary. Review the assumptions and limits. Height is entered in centimeters and weight in kilograms.
Need a wider view? Browse Health Calculators or compare the related tools below. The WorldCalculate methodology explains how formulas, examples, limits, and revisions are reviewed.
How to use the Body Surface Area (BSA) Estimator
- Enter Height (cm).
- Enter Weight (kg).
- Enter Primary formula.
- Choose Calculate and read the result panel.
- Use Download PDF or Download Word to save a result sheet.
Formula
Mosteller = √[(height cm × weight kg)/3600]; DuBois = 0.007184 × height^0.725 × weight^0.425; Haycock = 0.024265 × height^0.3964 × weight^0.5378.
The chosen equation is highlighted and all three common estimates are shown for comparison. This makes formula choice explicit because different equations can produce slightly different values, especially outside the populations in which they were developed.
Worked example
Mosteller BSA = √[(175 × 70)/3600] = approximately 1.85 m²; the other formula estimates are shown beside it.
Assumptions and limits
- Height is entered in centimeters and weight in kilograms.
- The result is an estimated surface area in square meters, not a direct physical measurement.
- Mosteller, DuBois, and Haycock are calculated independently rather than averaged.
- The selected method is a display preference and does not determine whether a clinician should use BSA for a treatment.
- Formula differences can matter for children, obesity, unusual body proportions, and other populations.
- The calculator does not convert BSA into a medication dose, infusion rate, or treatment plan.
- Use accurate, contemporaneous height and weight measurements when the result is used for professional review.
- A clinical protocol may require a different formula or a measured value; follow the responsible service’s instructions.
Who uses this calculator?
- Students learning common body-surface-area equations
- Clinicians or educators comparing formula outputs
- Readers checking the arithmetic behind a documented BSA estimate
When is it useful?
- Calculate BSA with the easy-to-audit Mosteller equation.
- Compare Mosteller, DuBois, and Haycock estimates for the same measurements.
- Explain why a formula name should accompany a BSA value.
Context and background
How health estimates should be read
Health calculators use measurements and population-level relationships to produce screening or planning estimates. They describe the supplied model; they do not diagnose, prescribe, or replace clinical judgment.
Many familiar health formulas began as practical ways to summarize measurements. Their limits matter as much as their output because individual bodies, medications, conditions, and professional standards vary.
Research and review
How this guide was researched
Researched by Hassan ALRowaie, Founder and editorial researcher at WorldCalculate.
This guide follows the live calculator's declared inputs, formula, worked example, assumptions, validation boundaries, and source-backed methodology. The review date describes editorial review of the calculator explanation; it is not a promise that external facts or rates remain current.
Body surface area is an estimate derived from body size, and the equation used is part of the answer. WorldCalculate puts three widely used formulas side by side so a reader can see the selected result, the alternatives, and the assumptions behind each number.
What body surface area means
BSA estimates the external surface area of the body in square meters. It is used to normalize or scale some physiological and clinical measurements.
It is an estimate rather than a directly measured surface. The value changes when height, weight, or the equation changes.
The Mosteller formula
Mosteller calculates the square root of height in centimeters multiplied by weight in kilograms, divided by 3600.
Its compact structure makes it easy to audit by hand or with a basic calculator. The page still shows the units because omitting them can create a large error.
DuBois and Haycock alternatives
DuBois and DuBois uses height and weight raised to fractional powers with a coefficient. Haycock uses another coefficient and exponent pair developed for a different reference context.
These are not interchangeable labels. WorldCalculate computes each exactly as written and does not hide the difference by returning an unexplained average.
Worked example
For 175 cm and 70 kg, Mosteller is √[(175 × 70)/3600], which is about 1.84–1.85 m² depending on rounding.
The calculator retains full precision internally, then formats the displayed result. Alternative estimates remain available for comparison rather than being silently discarded.
Why estimates can differ
BSA equations were developed from populations and body measurements that are not identical. Differences may become more noticeable in children, people with obesity, and people whose body proportions differ from the reference groups.
A small numerical difference is not automatically a measurement error. It may reflect the selected equation and the limits of estimating a complex surface from two numbers.
Clinical boundaries
BSA is sometimes used in medication or physiology calculations, but this page does not produce a dose. Drug labels and clinical protocols can specify a formula, a cap, an adjusted weight, or a different safety rule.
Never multiply a result by a drug dose on your own. The responsible prescriber or pharmacist must verify the indication, units, protocol, and patient-specific factors.
Better data, better estimate
Use a measured height and weight from the same relevant time. Rounding a child’s height or entering a weight from a different period can affect the result.
Record the formula name with the value. ‘BSA 1.8’ is less reproducible than ‘Mosteller BSA 1.84 m² from 175 cm and 70 kg.’
FAQs
Which formula is best? The required formula depends on the protocol and population. Is BSA the same as BMI? No; BMI is weight relative to height squared, while BSA estimates surface area. Can I use this for a dose? Only if a qualified professional and the applicable protocol explicitly require it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Body Surface Area (BSA) Estimator?
Estimate body surface area from height and weight using selectable Mosteller, DuBois, or Haycock equations and compare the outputs without hiding formula differences.
What is the formula for the Body Surface Area (BSA) Estimator?
Mosteller = √[(height cm × weight kg)/3600]; DuBois = 0.007184 × height^0.725 × weight^0.425; Haycock = 0.024265 × height^0.3964 × weight^0.5378. The chosen equation is highlighted and all three common estimates are shown for comparison. This makes formula choice explicit because different equations can produce slightly different values, especially outside the populations in which they were developed.
What do I need to use this calculator?
Enter Height, Weight, Primary formula, then choose Calculate.
What are the limits of this calculator?
Height is entered in centimeters and weight in kilograms. The result is an estimated surface area in square meters, not a direct physical measurement. Mosteller, DuBois, and Haycock are calculated independently rather than averaged. The selected method is a display preference and does not determine whether a clinician should use BSA for a treatment. Formula differences can matter for children, obesity, unusual body proportions, and other populations. The calculator does not convert BSA into a medication dose, infusion rate, or treatment plan. Use accurate, contemporaneous height and weight measurements when the result is used for professional review. A clinical protocol may require a different formula or a measured value; follow the responsible service’s instructions.
Methodology
This calculator is part of the WorldCalculate library. Its formula, example, assumptions, input bounds, and output formatting follow the official methodology.
Use this calculator as part of a bigger plan
These WorldCalculate collections connect this tool with related questions while keeping each calculation separate and transparent.