Where do the numbers come from?

The complete 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, the reference used in exercise science, with its official MET values for 1,111 activities.

How is the estimate calculated?

Calories equal MET times body weight in kilograms times hours. The calculate endpoint does this for an activity, weight and duration you provide.

How do I find an activity?

By Compendium code, by slug or by free-text search, across 22 categories including running, cycling, swimming, 156 sports, dancing, occupations and home and garden tasks.

Is this medical advice?

No. MET-based estimates are population averages. Individual energy expenditure varies with fitness, technique and conditions.

What does a call cost?

1 token. The free plan covers 500 calculations a month.

HealthMAINTAINED1 token / call

Calories Burned API

Calories burned for 1,111 activities from the 2024 Compendium of Physical Activities, by weight and time

Estimate calories burned for 1,111 activities — the complete 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities (running, cycling, swimming, gym, 156 sports, dancing, occupations, home and garden tasks, and more) with its official MET values (kcal = MET × weight × hours). Look activities up by Compendium code, slug or free-text search across 22 categories, get calories per hour, and see when a MET value is measured versus estimated. Supports kg or lb.

Every call needs an X-Api-Key header. A free key includes 500 tokens a month, no card required. 1 token per call, so the free plan covers about 500 calls a month.

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response.json

{
  "query": "GET /v1/calories-burned?activity=12030&weight=70&duration=30",
  "activity": "Running, 5.0 to 5.2 mph (12 min/mile)",
  "met": 8.5,
  "calories_burned": 297.5,
  "calories_per_hour": 595,
  "catalog": "1,111 activities / 22 categories (2024 Compendium)"
}

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Use cases for Calories Burned API

Log workouts and estimate calories burned in a fitness or health app.
Compare activities by intensity using official MET values.
Build activity pickers with search across 22 categories, from sports to household tasks.
Show calories per hour for an activity at the user's weight.

Calories Burned API endpoints

Every endpoint with its parameters and a real example response.

OpenAPI definition Postman workspace

GETActivity Detail
GETCalories Burned
GETData Sources
GETList Activities
GETList Categories

GETActivity Detail

https://api-calories.dataandapis.com/v1/activities/{id}

Path parameters

Parameter	Example
id	12020	Required

Example request

curl "https://api-calories.dataandapis.com/v1/activities/12020" \
  -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Example response

{
  "ok": true,
  "code": 12020,
  "slug": "jogging-general-self-selected-pace",
  "name": "Jogging, general, self-selected pace",
  "category": "running",
  "met": 7.5,
  "estimated": false,
  "category_name": "Running",
  "source": {
    "name": "2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities",
    "citation": "Herrmann SD, Willis EA, Ainsworth BE, et al. 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: A third update of the energy costs of human activities. J Sport Health Sci. 2024.",
    "url": "https://pacompendium.com/adult-compendium/"
  }
}

GETCalories Burned

https://api-calories.dataandapis.com/v1/calories-burned

Query parameters

Parameter	Example
activity	12030	Required
duration	30	Required
unit	kg	Optional
weight	70	Required

Example request

curl "https://api-calories.dataandapis.com/v1/calories-burned?activity=12030&duration=30&unit=kg&weight=70" \
  -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Example response

{
  "ok": true,
  "activity": {
    "code": 12030,
    "slug": "running-5-0-to-5-2-mph-12-min-mile",
    "name": "Running, 5.0 to 5.2 mph (12 min/mile)",
    "category": "running",
    "met": 8.5,
    "estimated": false
  },
  "matched_by": "code",
  "weight_kg": 70,
  "weight_lb": 154.3,
  "duration_minutes": 30,
  "calories_burned": 297.5,
  "calories_per_hour": 595,
  "formula": "kcal = MET × weight(kg) × duration(hours)",
  "source": {
    "name": "2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities",
    "citation": "Herrmann SD, Willis EA, Ainsworth BE, et al. 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: A third update of the energy costs of human activities. J Sport Health Sci. 2024.",
    "url": "https://pacompendium.com/adult-compendium/"
  }
}

GETData Sources

https://api-calories.dataandapis.com/v1/sources

This endpoint takes no parameters.

Example request

curl "https://api-calories.dataandapis.com/v1/sources" \
  -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Example response

{
  "ok": true,
  "sources": [
    {
      "name": "2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities",
      "citation": "Herrmann SD, Willis EA, Ainsworth BE, et al. 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: A third update of the energy costs of human activities. J Sport Health Sci. 2024.",
      "url": "https://pacompendium.com/adult-compendium/"
    }
  ],
  "formula": "kcal = MET × weight(kg) × duration(hours)"
}

GETList Activities

https://api-calories.dataandapis.com/v1/activities

Query parameters

Parameter	Example
category	sports	Optional
limit	50	Optional
page	1	Optional
q	running	Optional

Example request

curl "https://api-calories.dataandapis.com/v1/activities?category=sports&limit=50&page=1&q=running" \
  -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Example response

{
  "ok": true,
  "total": 67,
  "page": 1,
  "limit": 3,
  "count": 3,
  "activities": [
    {
      "code": 12200,
      "slug": "running-marathon",
      "name": "Running, marathon",
      "category": "running",
      "met": 13.3,
      "estimated": false
    },
    {
      "code": 12045,
      "slug": "running-5-5-5-8-mph",
      "name": "Running, 5.5 -5.8 mph",
      "category": "running",
      "met": 9,
      "estimated": false
    },
    {
      "code": 12029,
      "slug": "running-4-3-to-4-8-mph",
      "name": "Running 4.3 to 4.8 mph",
      "category": "running",
…

Show full response

{
  "ok": true,
  "total": 67,
  "page": 1,
  "limit": 3,
  "count": 3,
  "activities": [
    {
      "code": 12200,
      "slug": "running-marathon",
      "name": "Running, marathon",
      "category": "running",
      "met": 13.3,
      "estimated": false
    },
    {
      "code": 12045,
      "slug": "running-5-5-5-8-mph",
      "name": "Running, 5.5 -5.8 mph",
      "category": "running",
      "met": 9,
      "estimated": false
    },
    {
      "code": 12029,
      "slug": "running-4-3-to-4-8-mph",
      "name": "Running 4.3 to 4.8 mph",
      "category": "running",
      "met": 7.8,
      "estimated": false
    }
  ]
}

GETList Categories

https://api-calories.dataandapis.com/v1/categories

This endpoint takes no parameters.

Example request

curl "https://api-calories.dataandapis.com/v1/categories" \
  -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Example response

{
  "ok": true,
  "count": 22,
  "total_activities": 1111,
  "categories": [
    {
      "slug": "bicycling",
      "name": "Bicycling",
      "activities": 44
    },
    {
      "slug": "conditioning-exercise",
      "name": "Conditioning Exercise",
      "activities": 86
    },
    {
      "slug": "dancing",
      "name": "Dancing",
      "activities": 28
    },
    {
      "slug": "fishing-hunting",
      "name": "Fishing & Hunting",
      "activities": 37
    }
  ]
}

Where the data comes from

Source: 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities (Herrmann, Willis, Ainsworth et al.), bundled in the worker.
Freshness: Updated when the Compendium publishes a new edition.

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import axios from 'axios';

const { data } = await axios.get(
  'https://api-calories.dataandapis.com/v1/activities/{id}',
  { headers: { 'X-Api-Key': process.env.API_KEY } }
);

Calories Burned API · X-Api-Key

Explore the endpoints

Browse request parameters and inspect live example responses.

Available Endpoints

Request Parameters

API URL

Headers

X-Api-Key

Path Parameters

Target:

Client:

import axios from 'axios';

const url = 'https://api-calories.dataandapis.com/v1/activities/{id}';
const { data } = await axios.get(url, {
  headers: { 'X-Api-Key': 'YOUR_API_KEY' }
});