45 minutes of
laundry
119 kcal 45 minutes of laundry burns approximately 119 calories for a 70 kg adult, based on a MET value of 2.15. Heavier bodies burn proportionally more: 152 kcal at 90 kg, 186 kcal at 110 kg.
SOURCE·2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities·REVIEWED JUL 2026
MET 2.15 × 3.5 × 70 kg ÷ 200 = 2.63 kcal/min × 45 min = 119 kcal
Source—2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities—ACSM energy equation—retrieved 2026-07
How this is worked out
- Take the MET value for laundry from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: MET 2.15, the median of its 4 measured variations (MET 2–4).
- Convert MET to a rate using the ACSM relationship: multiply by 3.5, then by body mass in kilograms, then divide by 200. That gives kilocalories per minute.
- Multiply the rate by the number of minutes actually spent.
- Round to whole kilocalories. Nothing else is applied — no age factor, no sex factor, no proprietary adjustment, because the underlying data does not support one.
kcal/min = MET × 3.5 × mass(kg) ÷ 200 kcal = kcal/min × minutes 2.15 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 = 2.63 kcal/min 2.63 × 45 min = 119 kcal
45 minutes of laundry, by body weight
| Body weight | 45 minutes | Per minute |
|---|---|---|
| 50 kg (110 lb) | 85 | 1.9 |
| 60 kg (132 lb) | 102 | 2.3 |
| 70 kg (154 lb) | 119 | 2.6 |
| 80 kg (176 lb) | 135 | 3.0 |
| 90 kg (198 lb) | 152 | 3.4 |
| 100 kg (220 lb) | 169 | 3.8 |
| 110 kg (243 lb) | 186 | 4.1 |
| 120 kg (265 lb) | 203 | 4.5 |
SOURCE·2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Questions
How many calories does 45 minutes of laundry burn?
About 119 kcal for a 70 kg adult at MET 2.15. At 60 kg it is 102 kcal and at 100 kg it is 169 kcal.
Is 45 minutes of laundry a good workout?
At MET 2.15 this is light activity. Adults are advised to accumulate 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week, so 45 minutes is 30% of a week's target at that intensity.
A number this clean is a model. It does not know your gradient, your gear, the wind, or how hard you were actually trying.
MET from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. General information only — not medical, fitness or nutrition advice. Calorie figures are population estimates and vary between individuals.
