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Burn Surface Area (Rule Of Nines) Calculator

Work out burn surface area (rule of nines) instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Burn Surface Area (Rule Of Nines) Calculator

Applies the adult rule of nines — 9% per arm and head, 18% per leg, 36% for the trunk — and converts the burn area into the Parkland fluid requirement per kilogram.

Formula

Rule of nines and Parkland

Head 9%, each arm 9%, each leg 18%, trunk 36%, perineum 1%. Parkland: 4 mL x weight (kg) x %TBSA over 24 hours, half in the first 8 hours

Worked example

With the default values below, Burn Surface Area (Rule Of Nines) Calculator returns Total body surface area burned of 36.0%. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Head and neck burnedone of Not burned (0%), Fully burned (9%)
Not burned (0%)
Arms fully burnedaccepts 0–2
1
Legs fully burnedaccepts 0–2
1
Trunk burnedaccepts 0–36 %
9 %

Results

Total body surface area burned
36.0%
Severity band
20% or more — major burn, formal fluid resuscitation indicated
Parkland fluid in the first 24 hours
144 mL/kg
Regions counted
3

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Rule of nines and Parkland
  3. 3Total body surface area burned= 36.0
  4. 4Severity band= 20% or more — major burn, formal fluid resuscitation indicated
  5. 5Parkland fluid in the first 24 hours= 144 mL/kg
  6. 6Regions counted= 3

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 1 decimal place, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
  • Educational estimate only. Not a substitute for professional clinical judgement, and must not be used to make treatment or dosing decisions.
  • This is an estimate for general information and not professional medical advice. See the full disclaimer for the limits that apply to this kind of calculator.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Educational estimate only. Not a substitute for professional clinical judgement, and must not be used to make treatment or dosing decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the rule of nines apply to children?

No. Children have proportionally larger heads, so the Lund and Browder chart is used instead.

Are superficial burns counted?

No. Only partial and full thickness burns are included in the resuscitation area.

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