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Steps to Calories Calculator

Enter your step count, height, and weight. The calculator converts your steps into kilometers, walking time, and calories burned.

Walking pace

Enter your details and your results will appear here.

How do we convert steps into calories?

The calculator works it out in four steps:

  1. Stride length = height × 0.415 (about 71 cm at a height of 170 cm).
  2. Distance = number of steps × stride length.
  3. Walking time = distance ÷ pace: about 3.5 km/h (easy), 5 km/h (normal), or 6 km/h (brisk).
  4. Calories = MET × 3.5 × weight in kg ÷ 200 × walking time in minutes.

The MET values for walking (2.8, 3.8, and 4.8) come from the Compendium of Physical Activities 2024—the same reference used by our calorie burn calculator.

How many calories do 10,000 steps burn?

For a height of 170 cm (about 7 km) at a normal pace—that's about 85 minutes of walking:

Weight Calories Above resting calories
60 kg about 340 kcal about 250 kcal
70 kg about 395 kcal about 290 kcal
80 kg about 450 kcal about 330 kcal
90 kg about 505 kcal about 375 kcal
100 kg about 565 kcal about 415 kcal

Taller people have longer strides, so the same 10,000 steps cover a greater distance and burn a few more calories.

Fun fact: you use the least energy per kilometer at a comfortable pace of about 5 km/h. At the same distance, walking very slowly or very quickly burns a little more—the calculator reflects this too.

Steps and weight loss

Walking is one of the easiest ways to increase your daily calorie burn without working out. For many people, an extra 3000-4000 steps a day means 100-200 more kcal—a noticeable difference over a month.

Two things to keep in mind:

  • Don't count them twice—if you select an activity level in the daily calorie needs calculator, your usual steps are already included.
  • Steps counted throughout the day are often taken at an easy pace—around the house, at the office, or in a store. Easy walking is a better fit for this than a brisk walk.

How to get more steps

  • Get off the bus one stop early or park farther from the entrance.
  • Take phone calls standing up or while walking.
  • Take the stairs instead of the elevator, at least for a few floors.
  • Take a short 10-minute walk after lunch—that's about 1000 steps.
  • Set a goal just above your current average and increase it gradually.

FAQs

How many calories do 10,000 steps burn?
At a height of 170 cm and a weight of 70 kg, 10,000 steps at a normal pace cover about 7 km and burn around 395 kcal, including about 290 kcal above what you burn at rest. At a weight of 90 kg, that's about 505 kcal.
How many kilometers do 10,000 steps cover?
Usually 6.5-8 km, depending on your stride length. At a height of 160 cm, it's about 6.6 km; at 170 cm, about 7 km; and at 185 cm, about 7.7 km.
How do you calculate stride length?
The simplest way: your height × 0.415, which is about 73 cm for someone 175 cm tall. For a more accurate result, walk 20 steps at your usual pace, measure the distance, and divide it by 20.
How many steps should you aim for each day?
Research shows that health benefits can be seen with just a few thousand steps a day and increase up to about 7000-10,000 steps. 10,000 is a nice, round goal, but it's not a magic number—consistency matters.
How many steps does it take to burn 100 kcal?
At a height of 170 cm and a weight of 70 kg, it's about 2500 steps at a normal pace. If you weigh more, you'll need fewer steps; if you weigh less, you'll need more.
Does your phone count steps accurately?
Phones and watches use motion sensors to count steps, usually with an error of a few percent. They're less accurate when you're walking very slowly, pushing a stroller, or carrying your phone in a bag.

This calculator is for informational purposes only and does not replace advice from a doctor or dietitian. The calculations happen in your browser—we don’t send the data you enter anywhere. We only save it in this tab for the duration of your visit, so it can be filled in automatically in other calculators. Formulas and sources.

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