Calories burned during stair climbing
Half an hour on the stair-climber machine burns roughly 290–390 kcal for a 70 kg person — a range, because your real pace and whether you lean on the rails change it a lot. Leaning on the handrails offloads weight and drops the true burn. Enter your own weight and time below.
Enter your weight and how long you moved — the estimate comes back as a range, the same way our diary does it.
| Weight | 15 min | 30 min | 45 min | 60 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 kg | 104–140 | 208–281 | 311–421 | 415–561 |
| 60 kg | 125–168 | 249–337 | 374–505 | 498–674 |
| 70 kg | 145–197 | 291–393 | 436–590 | 581–786 |
| 80 kg | 166–225 | 332–449 | 498–674 | 664–898 |
| 90 kg | 187–253 | 374–505 | 560–758 | 747–1011 |
| 100 kg | 208–281 | 415–561 | 623–842 | 830–1123 |
| 110 kg | 228–309 | 457–618 | 685–926 | 913–1235 |
Each cell is a range (±15%). Read down for your weight, across for your time. These are population estimates, not a measurement of you.
Energy cost from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities (Herrmann, Willis, Ainsworth et al.). kcal = MET × 3.5 × weight(kg) ÷ 200 × minutes; we show it as a band because a MET is a population average. Why a range, not one number →
How many calories does stair climbing burn?
It depends on your weight, how long you keep it up and — a lot — your pace and fitness, so there is no single true number. The table and the calculator give a range for your weight and time. Two people of the same weight can differ by 15–25% at the same activity.
Why show a range instead of one number?
Because a MET value is a population average. Your real burn shifts with fitness, technique, terrain and how hard you actually went. A single "347 kcal" reads as precise when it isn't — the honest answer is a band, and that is what we show.
Do calories burned mean I can eat that much back?
No. This is an estimate of energy spent, not calories you have to "earn" or a licence to eat more. Movement is worth doing for its own sake. If you track a day's balance, use the range — never treat the top of it as exact.
Where do the numbers come from?
MET values from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, a public reference cited by researchers. We apply the standard MET formula and widen it into a ±15% band (±25% for strength work, which a MET barely captures).