What is the Mosteller formula for Body Surface Area?

The Mosteller formula is: `BSA (m²) = √[(Height in cm × Weight in kg) / 3600]` or in imperial: `BSA = √[(Height in in × Weight in lbs) / 3131]`.

Why is BSA used instead of body weight for chemotherapy dosing?

BSA correlates much more closely with cardiac output, renal glomerular filtration rate, and basal metabolic rate than simple body weight, reducing toxicity risks in narrow-therapeutic-index drugs.

What is the Du Bois and Du Bois formula?

The classic Du Bois formula (1916) is: `BSA = 0.007184 × (Height in cm)^0.725 × (Weight in kg)^0.425`.

What is the average Body Surface Area of an adult?

The average adult male has a BSA of approximately `1.9 m²`, and the average adult female has a BSA of approximately `1.6 to 1.7 m²`.

What is Cardiac Index and how does it use BSA?

Cardiac Index (CI) normalizes cardiac output to body size: `Cardiac Index = Cardiac Output (L/min) / BSA (m²)`, with normal values ranging from 2.5 to 4.0 L/min/m².

Why is Body Surface Area (BSA) critical in medical chemotherapy and drug dosing?

BSA (calculated via Mosteller or Du Bois formulas in m²) correlates more accurately with cardiac output and renal clearance than simple body weight, ensuring safe pharmacological dosing.

Health & Fitness Cluster

Body Surface Area Calculator (Mosteller, Du Bois & Clinical Formulas)

Calculate Body Surface Area (BSA in $m^2$) for clinical pharmacology and medical applications.

TL;DR: Body Surface Area Calculator computes human body surface area in square meters ($m^2$) using the Mosteller formula $\text{BSA} = \sqrt{[\text{height (cm)} \times \text{weight (kg)}] / 3600}$.

Height (cm)

Weight (kg)

What Is Body Surface Area (BSA) and What Is the Mosteller Formula?

Body Surface Area (BSA) is the measured or calculated surface area of a human body, expressed in square meters (m²). The Mosteller formula is the clinical standard: BSA (m²) = √[(Height in cm × Weight in kg) / 3600]. The average adult BSA is approximately 1.7 m² for women and 1.9 m² for men.

How to Use the Body Surface Area Calculator

Our Body Surface Area Calculator performs high-precision mathematical operations directly in your browser with zero latency and complete client-side privacy.

Enter Height in centimeters (cm) or inches.
Enter Weight in kilograms (kg) or pounds (lbs).
Click 'Calculate BSA' to compute surface area across multiple clinical equations.
Review the primary Mosteller result alongside Du Bois, Haycock, and Boyd formulas.
Use calculated BSA values for medical dosing and physiological index calculations.

Mathematical Formula & Equations

Calculates total human body surface area used in clinical pharmacotherapy and chemotherapy dosage calculations.

\[ \text{Mosteller Formula: } \text{BSA (m}^2) = \sqrt{\frac{\text{Height (cm)} \times \text{Weight (kg)}}{3600}} \]

Calculation Example

For a patient 175 cm tall weighing 70 kg: $$\text{BSA} = \sqrt{\frac{175 \times 70}{3600}} = \sqrt{3.4028} = 1.845 \text{ m}^2$$

100% Client-Side Privacy & Data Security

All calculations, amortization schedules, variables, and sensitive numerical datasets execute 100% locally in your web browser memory. Your financial, medical, and personal values are never transmitted, logged, or uploaded to any external server.

Frequently Asked Questions

: The Mosteller formula is: `BSA (m²) = √[(Height in cm × Weight in kg) / 3600]` or in imperial: `BSA = √[(Height in in × Weight in lbs) / 3131]`.
: BSA correlates much more closely with cardiac output, renal glomerular filtration rate, and basal metabolic rate than simple body weight, reducing toxicity risks in narrow-therapeutic-index drugs.
: The classic Du Bois formula (1916) is: `BSA = 0.007184 × (Height in cm)^0.725 × (Weight in kg)^0.425`.
: The average adult male has a BSA of approximately `1.9 m²`, and the average adult female has a BSA of approximately `1.6 to 1.7 m²`.
: Cardiac Index (CI) normalizes cardiac output to body size: `Cardiac Index = Cardiac Output (L/min) / BSA (m²)`, with normal values ranging from 2.5 to 4.0 L/min/m².
: BSA (calculated via Mosteller or Du Bois formulas in m²) correlates more accurately with cardiac output and renal clearance than simple body weight, ensuring safe pharmacological dosing.

Cite This Calculator

Need to reference this online calculator in a financial proposal, academic paper, blog post, or classroom curriculum? Copy a citation below.

NexLove.org. (2026). Body Surface Area Calculator [Online Calculation Tool]. https://nexlove.org/tools/body-surface-area-calculator

“Body Surface Area Calculator.” NexLove.org, 2026, nexlove.org/tools/body-surface-area-calculator.

NexLove.org (2026) Body Surface Area Calculator. Available at: https://nexlove.org/tools/body-surface-area-calculator (Accessed: 2026).

@misc{nexlove_body_surface_area_calculator,
  title = {Body Surface Area Calculator},
  author = {{NexLove.org}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://nexlove.org/tools/body-surface-area-calculator}
}

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Add the live Body Surface Area Calculator to your own website with this snippet — it loads the real, working calculator in an iframe.

<iframe src="https://nexlove.org/embed/body-surface-area-calculator.html" width="100%" height="600" style="border:1px solid #e2e8f0;border-radius:12px" title="Body Surface Area Calculator — NexLove.org" loading="lazy"></iframe>

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