Badminton calories burned
A 70 kg (154 lb) adult burns roughly 385 kcal in an hour of social badminton and about 490 kcal playing competitively. Enter your weight, time and intensity for your own estimate per session, per hour and per week.
Actual playing time
The formula: kcal = MET × kg × hours = 5.5 × 70.0 × 1.00 = 385 kcal. MET values: 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, code 15030.
This session
385kcal
≈315 above resting
Per hour
385kcal
Per week
770kcal
2 sessions
Same time, other activities
kcal for 60 minutes at your weight · 2024 Compendium
- Table tennis280 kcal · 4
- Brisk walking (3.5–3.9 mph)336 kcal · 4.8
- Badminton, social / casual385 kcal · 5.5
- Swimming laps, slow freestyle406 kcal · 5.8
- Tennis, doubles420 kcal · 6
- Cycling, general490 kcal · 7
- Badminton, competitive490 kcal · 7
- Squash, general511 kcal · 7.3
- Jogging, general525 kcal · 7.5
- Tennis, singles560 kcal · 8
- Badminton, competitive match play630 kcal · 9
- Running, 6 mph (10 min/mile)651 kcal · 9.3
An estimate for an average adult: real burn varies with fitness, body composition, rest between rallies and how much you actually move. Not medical advice.
This badminton calories burned calculator uses the standard MET method with values from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, the reference researchers use to compare the energy cost of activities. Badminton is listed at 5.5 METs for social singles and doubles, 7.0 for competitive play and 9.0 for competitive match play.
How the calculation works
A MET (metabolic equivalent) is a multiple of your resting energy use: 1 MET is roughly what you burn sitting still, about 1 kcal per kilogram of body weight per hour. So the estimate is simply:
kcal = MET × body weight (kg) × hours
For a 70 kg player in a one-hour social session: 5.5 × 70 × 1 = 385 kcal. That figure includes the energy you would have used anyway; the calculator also shows the part above resting, (MET − 1) × kg × hours, which is the extra that playing adds.
Badminton calories burned per hour
| Body weight | Social / casual (5.5 MET) | Competitive (7 MET) | Competitive match play (9 MET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55 kg (121 lb) | 303 kcal | 385 kcal | 495 kcal |
| 70 kg (154 lb) | 385 kcal | 490 kcal | 630 kcal |
| 85 kg (187 lb) | 468 kcal | 595 kcal | 765 kcal |
| 100 kg (220 lb) | 550 kcal | 700 kcal | 900 kcal |
These are per hour of play. Most club sessions include waiting for a court, changing ends and chatting, so count your time on court, not time in the building.
Badminton calories in 1 hour vs other sports
On the Compendium's numbers, an hour of social badminton (5.5 METs) burns more than brisk walking (4.8) or table tennis (4.0) and about the same as slow lap swimming (5.8) or doubles tennis (6.0). Competitive badminton (7.0) is level with general cycling (7.0) and close to jogging (7.5); hard match play (9.0) is near running at 6 mph (9.3). The bars in the calculator show the same comparison in calories at your weight. For how the sports differ beyond calories, see badminton vs tennis and badminton vs pickleball.
Is badminton good for weight loss?
It can be a very good way to be active: it is interval training in disguise, with short bursts of lunging, jumping and changing direction, and it is fun enough that people keep turning up, which matters more than any single session. Three social sessions a week at 70 kg is roughly 1,150 kcal of activity. Whether that leads to weight loss depends on your overall energy balance, sleep and diet. The full answer, with what helps you get more from each session, is in is badminton good for weight loss?
To raise the intensity: play more singles, cut the waiting, and add footwork work between sessions (try our footwork drills at home). Always start with a proper warm-up.
How to burn more calories playing badminton
- Play more singles. You cover the whole court alone, with fewer pauses than doubles.
- Cut the dead time. At club night, more games and less waiting does more than any technique change. Formats like King of the Court keep everyone moving.
- Make rallies longer. Rally drills and defence practice keep you moving for longer stretches; see the beginner drills.
- Move properly. Good footwork lets you reach more shuttles, so rallies last longer and you work harder without getting hurt.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories does badminton burn per hour?
Roughly 5.5 kcal per kg of body weight for social play, 7 kcal per kg competitively and 9 kcal per kg in hard match play, based on the 2024 Compendium of Physical Activities. For a 70 kg (154 lb) person that's about 385, 490 and 630 kcal per hour.
How many calories does 30 minutes of badminton burn?
Half the hourly figure: about 190 kcal for a 70 kg person playing socially, or around 245 kcal playing competitively.
Does singles burn more calories than doubles?
Usually, because you cover the whole court alone and rest less. The Compendium doesn't separate them; it groups social singles and doubles at 5.5 METs and lists competitive play at 7.0 and match play at 9.0, so pick the intensity that matches how hard you work.
What MET value is badminton?
In the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: 5.5 METs for social singles and doubles (code 15030), 7.0 for competitive badminton (15020) and 9.0 for competitive match play (15025).
Is badminton better than running for burning calories?
Running at 6 mph is listed at 9.3 METs, more than social badminton (5.5) and about the same as competitive match play (9.0). Per minute, steady running usually burns more, but the best exercise is the one you'll keep doing.
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