Compute BSA using Du Bois, Mosteller, Haycock and other clinical formulas.
Body Surface Area is used in oncology (chemotherapy dosing), cardiology (cardiac output normalisation), burn management (fluid resuscitation), and nephrology (GFR expression). The Mosteller formula is favoured in clinical practice because its form is simple enough to compute mentally or with a basic calculator. DEXA and 3D scanning give more accurate BSA, but formula-based estimates are adequate for most clinical dosing purposes.
Mosteller
BSA = √(Height(cm) × Weight(kg) / 3600)
Du Bois
BSA = 0.007184 × Weight^0.425 × Height^0.725
Haycock
BSA = 0.024265 × Weight^0.5378 × Height^0.3964
Gehan-George
BSA = 0.0235 × Weight^0.51456 × Height^0.42246
BSA calculations are estimates for informational and educational purposes. Drug dosing, cardiac output normalisation, and burn fluid resuscitation must be performed by qualified healthcare professionals using validated clinical protocols. This tool is not a substitute for medical advice.
Each formula was derived from a different patient population. Du Bois (1916) used nine healthy adults; Mosteller (1987) approximated several earlier formulas for clinical convenience; Haycock (1978) validated across infants to adults; Gehan & George (1970) used a large cross-sectional sample. For most adults in normal weight range they agree within 2–3%.
Follow your pharmacy protocol. Mosteller is most widely used in modern oncology (e.g. ASCO BSA guidelines). Du Bois remains common in nephrology. Haycock is preferred for paediatric dosing.
The conventional reference BSA used in cardiac output normalisation is 1.73 m² (derived from the Du Bois formula for an average adult). In practice, typical adults range from 1.6 to 2.1 m², with men averaging about 1.9 m² and women about 1.7 m².