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Clothing Layers For Temperature Calculator

Work out clothing layers for temperature instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Clothing Layers For Temperature Calculator

Wind chill is computed with the standard formula, insulation need is roughly one clo per ten degrees below 33 C skin temperature, and activity heat is subtracted before dividing by about 0.8 clo per layer. Activity is the biggest variable: running generates enough heat to replace nearly two layers, which is why dressing for the start of a run leaves you overheating.

Formulas

Wind chill

chill = 13.12 + 0.6215T - 11.37 v^0.16 + 0.3965 T v^0.16, for T <= 10 C and v >= 4.8 km/h

Layers

layers = ceiling(((33 - chill) / 10 - activity clo) / 0.8)

Worked example

With the default values below, Clothing Layers For Temperature Calculator returns Clothing layers to wear of 4. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Air temperatureaccepts -40–40 C
5 C
Wind speedminimum 0 km/h
20 km/h
Activity levelone of Standing still, Walking, Brisk hiking, Running
Walking

Results

Clothing layers to wear
4
Wind chill temperature
1.07 C
Insulation required
2.693 clo
Insulation replaced by activity
0.50 clo

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Wind chill
  3. 3Layers
  4. 4Clothing layers to wear= 4
  5. 5Wind chill temperature= 1.07 C
  6. 6Insulation required= 2.693 clo
  7. 7Insulation replaced by activity= 0.50 clo

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 3 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 3 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Clothing Layers For Temperature figure worked out?

chill = 13.12 + 0.6215T - 11.37 v^0.16 + 0.3965 T v^0.16, for T <= 10 C and v >= 4.8 km/h. Wind chill is computed with the standard formula, insulation need is roughly one clo per ten degrees below 33 C skin temperature, and activity heat is subtracted before dividing by about 0.8 clo per layer.

Why does this matter?

Activity is the biggest variable: running generates enough heat to replace nearly two layers, which is why dressing for the start of a run leaves you overheating.

What do I need to enter?

Enter air temperature, wind speed, activity level. The defaults shown are a realistic worked example — swap in your own figures to get a result you can use.

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