Body Surface Area (BSA) Calculator
NewCalculate body surface area using the Mosteller and Du Bois formulas from height and weight — commonly used for medication dosing and burn assessment.
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Mosteller formula
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Du Bois formula
Body surface area (BSA) is commonly used in medicine for drug dosing (especially chemotherapy) and burn assessment. For informational purposes only — not medical advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is body surface area used for?
BSA is used in medicine to calculate medication dosages (especially chemotherapy drugs, where dosing per BSA is more precise than simple weight-based dosing), assess burn severity as a percentage of total body surface, and estimate certain physiological parameters like cardiac output index.
What's the difference between the Mosteller and Du Bois formulas?
The Mosteller formula (√(height×weight/3600)) is simpler and widely used in modern clinical practice due to its ease of calculation, while the Du Bois formula (0.007184 × height^0.725 × weight^0.425) was developed earlier (1916) from a small sample and is still referenced in some contexts — both typically produce results within a few percent of each other for typical adult body proportions.
Why do both formulas need height AND weight, not just weight?
Surface area doesn't scale linearly with weight alone — two people of the same weight but very different heights (one short and stocky, one tall and lean) have meaningfully different body surface areas, so both dimensions are needed for an accurate estimate.
Is this a substitute for a doctor's dosing calculation?
No — this tool is for informational and educational purposes only. Actual medical dosing decisions should always be made by a qualified healthcare provider using validated clinical tools and considering the full clinical picture, not a standalone online calculator.