Calories burned
carrying 5 to 14 lb load
294 kcal / hour Carrying 5 to 14 lb load burns approximately 294 calories per hour for a 70 kg (154 lb) adult, and 147 calories in 30 minutes. Across the normal adult weight range the hourly figure runs from about 210 to 504 kcal.
It carries a MET value of 4 in the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities.
Calories burned carrying 5 to 14 lb load by body weight
Energy cost scales with the mass you move, so body weight changes the answer more than anything else. Full Compendium description: "Carrying 5 to 14 lb (2.3 to 6.4 kg) load (e.g. suitcase, boxes, groceries)".
| Body weight | 15 min | 30 min | 45 min | 60 min | 90 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 kg (110 lb) | 53 | 105 | 158 | 210 | 315 |
| 60 kg (132 lb) | 63 | 126 | 189 | 252 | 378 |
| 70 kg (154 lb) | 74 | 147 | 221 | 294 | 441 |
| 80 kg (176 lb) | 84 | 168 | 252 | 336 | 504 |
| 90 kg (198 lb) | 95 | 189 | 284 | 378 | 567 |
| 100 kg (220 lb) | 105 | 210 | 315 | 420 | 630 |
| 110 kg (243 lb) | 116 | 231 | 347 | 462 | 693 |
| 120 kg (265 lb) | 126 | 252 | 378 | 504 | 756 |
Figures in kilocalories (the "calories" on food labels). The highlighted row is the 70 kg reference adult used in the headline figure; the highlighted column is one hour.
What 294 calories an hour actually means
At MET 4, carrying 5 to 14 lb load counts as moderate activity — it uses about 4 times the energy your body burns sitting still. For a 70 kg adult that works out to roughly 5 kcal per minute, or 294 kcal across a full hour.
Within walking, that ranks 16th of 28 activities by energy cost, a little below using medical knee scooter (MET 4.3) and above hiking slowly or ambling through fields and… (MET 3.8).
Put differently: one hour of carrying 5 to 14 lb load costs about the same energy as 60 minutes of ordinary walking.
On the food side, a can of cola (about 140 kcal) takes roughly 29 minutes of carrying 5 to 14 lb load to offset at that body weight. That framing is useful for scale, but it is worth saying plainly: exercise and diet are not a ledger that cancels neatly, and appetite tends to rise with activity.
Questions
How many calories does carrying 5 to 14 lb load burn per hour?
About 294 kcal per hour for a 70 kg (154 lb) adult, using the Compendium MET value of 4. A 90 kg adult burns closer to 378 kcal in the same hour, because energy cost scales almost directly with body mass.
How many calories does 30 minutes of carrying 5 to 14 lb load burn?
Roughly 147 kcal at 70 kg, 126 kcal at 60 kg and 210 kcal at 100 kg. Halving the time halves the calories — the relationship is linear.
What is the MET value of carrying 5 to 14 lb load?
4. One MET is the energy you use sitting quietly, so MET 4 means 4 times that rate.
Is this an exact number of calories?
No, and no calculator can give you one. MET values are population averages measured in laboratory conditions; your own figure varies with fitness, technique, terrain, temperature and body composition. Treat these numbers as a solid estimate for planning, not a precise measurement — and treat any device or site claiming three-digit precision with suspicion.
Related activities
Three more from walking, and three with a similar energy cost from elsewhere in the Compendium.
MET value from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities (activity code 17016). Calories computed as MET × 3.5 × weight kg ÷ 200 per minute. General information only — not medical, fitness or nutrition advice. Calorie figures are population estimates and vary between individuals.