This body surface area (BSA) calculator estimates the total surface area of the body in square meters from height and weight. It shows the Mosteller and Du Bois formulas side by side.
BSA formulas
Mosteller: BSA (m²) = √(height (cm) × weight (kg) ÷ 3600)
Du Bois: BSA (m²) = 0.007184 × weight0.425 × height0.725
Worked example
An adult who is 175 cm tall and weighs 70 kg has a BSA of about 1.84 m² by Mosteller and 1.85 m² by Du Bois.
Frequently asked questions
What is BSA used for?
Doctors use BSA to dose some medications, including many chemotherapy drugs, and to index heart output and kidney function to body size. Any dose must be set by a clinician.
Which formula is best?
Mosteller is the most widely used because it is simple and accurate for most adults. The two usually differ by only a few hundredths of a square meter.
For information only; not medical advice.