Calories burned
washing dishes
243 kcal / hour Washing dishes burns approximately 243 calories per hour for a 70 kg (154 lb) adult, and 121 calories in 30 minutes. Across the normal adult weight range the hourly figure runs from about 173 to 416 kcal.
It carries a MET value of 3.3 in the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities.
Calories burned washing dishes by body weight
Energy cost scales with the mass you move, so body weight changes the answer more than anything else.
| Body weight | 15 min | 30 min | 45 min | 60 min | 90 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 kg (110 lb) | 43 | 87 | 130 | 173 | 260 |
| 60 kg (132 lb) | 52 | 104 | 156 | 208 | 312 |
| 70 kg (154 lb) | 61 | 121 | 182 | 243 | 364 |
| 80 kg (176 lb) | 69 | 139 | 208 | 277 | 416 |
| 90 kg (198 lb) | 78 | 156 | 234 | 312 | 468 |
| 100 kg (220 lb) | 87 | 173 | 260 | 347 | 520 |
| 110 kg (243 lb) | 95 | 191 | 286 | 381 | 572 |
| 120 kg (265 lb) | 104 | 208 | 312 | 416 | 624 |
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 243 calories an hour actually means
At MET 3.3, washing dishes counts as moderate activity — it uses about 3.3 times the energy your body burns sitting still. For a 70 kg adult that works out to roughly 4 kcal per minute, or 243 kcal across a full hour.
Within religious activities, that ranks 6th of 19 activities by energy cost, a little below standing, moderate effort (MET 3.8) and above serving food at church (MET 2.3).
Put differently: one hour of washing dishes costs about the same energy as 49 minutes of ordinary walking.
On the food side, a plain bagel (about 245 kcal) takes roughly 61 minutes of washing dishes 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 washing dishes burn per hour?
About 243 kcal per hour for a 70 kg (154 lb) adult, using the Compendium MET value of 3.3. A 90 kg adult burns closer to 312 kcal in the same hour, because energy cost scales almost directly with body mass.
How many calories does 30 minutes of washing dishes burn?
Roughly 121 kcal at 70 kg, 104 kcal at 60 kg and 173 kcal at 100 kg. Halving the time halves the calories — the relationship is linear.
What is the MET value of washing dishes?
3.3. One MET is the energy you use sitting quietly, so MET 3.3 means 3.3 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 religious activities, and three with a similar energy cost from elsewhere in the Compendium.
MET value from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities (activity code 20047). 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.