Clinical Body Surface Area calculator featuring the Mosteller, Du Bois, and Haycock formulas. Used by oncologists and clinicians for chemotherapy and pediatric drug dosing.
Optional: compute exact patient dose in mg
| Formula | Result (m²) | Primary Medical Use |
|---|---|---|
| Mosteller (1987) | 1.84 m² | Hospital standard, general oncology & pharmacy |
| Du Bois & Du Bois (1916) | 1.85 m² | Classic physiological reference standard |
| Haycock (1978) | 1.85 m² | Widely validated in pediatric patient populations |
| Gehan & George (1970) | 1.85 m² | Cancer clinical trials and pharmacological studies |
| Boyd (1935) | 1.85 m² | Complex metabolic research formula |
First published by Dr. R.D. Mosteller in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1987, the Mosteller formula simplified body surface area calculations while delivering accuracy virtually identical to more cumbersome exponential equations:
BSA (m²) = √[ (Height in cm × Weight in kg) / 3600 ]
For imperial units (inches and pounds), the formula simplifies to:
BSA (m²) = √[ (Height in inches × Weight in lbs) / 3131 ]
In clinical oncology, most chemotherapy drugs have a narrow therapeutic index—meaning the difference between an effective cure and severe toxicity is very small. Because drug clearance and metabolic rate correlate much more directly with functional body surface area than total weight, dosing protocols are universally specified in mg/m².
If you need to calculate geometric 2D/3D shapes (cylinders, irregular plots, circles, or area moment of inertia), visit our Geometric Area Calculator.
Go to Geometric Area Calculator →