Mosteller Formula Calculators

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The Mosteller formula is the most widely used equation for calculating body surface area (BSA) in clinical practice: BSA (m²) = √[height(cm) × weight(kg) / 3600]. Introduced by Mosteller in 1987, it is favored over other BSA formulas (DuBois, Haycock) for its simplicity and comparable accuracy across normal adult weight ranges. BSA is used primarily for chemotherapy dosing — expressing doses in mg/m² to normalize drug exposure across patients of different body sizes. Average adult BSA is approximately 1.7–1.9 m².

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Mosteller BSA Formula

BSA (m²) = √[height (cm) × weight (kg) / 3600]

Or equivalently: BSA = √(H × W) / 60

Example: patient 175 cm tall, 75 kg: BSA = √(175 × 75 / 3600) = √(13125/3600) = √3.646 = 1.91 m².

In Excel: =SQRT(height_cm * weight_kg / 3600)

Comparison with Other BSA Formulas

  • DuBois & DuBois (1916): BSA = 0.007184 × H^0.725 × W^0.425 — the original; remains a reference standard
  • Haycock (1978): BSA = 0.024265 × H^0.3964 × W^0.5378 — preferred for pediatric patients
  • Mosteller (1987): BSA = √(H×W/3600) — simplest; accurate for most adults; preferred in clinical practice

All four give results within 2–3% for most adult patients, making the choice mostly one of convenience.

Using Mosteller BSA for Drug Dosing

Chemotherapy dose = prescribed dose (mg/m²) × patient BSA (m²). Example: carboplatin 400 mg/m² for a patient with BSA 1.85 m²: dose = 400 × 1.85 = 740 mg. For drugs where dose is capped (carboplatin AUC dosing using Calvert formula, capecitabine), verify dosing caps before calculating. Renal dose adjustments may modify doses regardless of BSA.

Glossary

Mosteller Formula
BSA (m²) = √[height(cm) × weight(kg) / 3600]; the most widely used BSA calculation in clinical oncology; simple, accurate for adults; used for chemotherapy dose calculation.
Body Surface Area (BSA)
Total skin surface area in m²; average adult ~1.7–1.9 m²; used in oncology for mg/m² drug dosing to normalize drug exposure across patient body sizes.
DuBois Formula
BSA = 0.007184 × H^0.725 × W^0.425; the original 1916 BSA formula; historical reference standard; results within 2–3% of Mosteller for typical adults.

Frequently Asked Questions

Mosteller BSA (m²) = √[height(cm) × weight(kg) / 3600]. It is the preferred BSA formula for clinical oncology because of its simplicity and accuracy. Example: 165 cm, 60 kg: BSA = √(165 × 60 / 3600) = √(9900/3600) = √2.75 = 1.66 m². Patients above or below the typical range should have their BSA calculated with the actual weights — some protocols cap BSA at 2.0–2.2 m² for morbidly obese patients to prevent overdosing.

BSA-based dosing normalizes drug exposure across patients of different body sizes by assuming that drug clearance and volume of distribution scale with BSA. Standard doses in mg/m² mean that a larger patient (larger BSA) receives more drug, maintaining similar plasma concentrations and tissue exposure. Without BSA adjustment, fixed doses would overdose small patients and underdose large patients. However, BSA is an imperfect predictor — pharmacogenomic variability in drug metabolism enzymes (CYP3A4, DPYD, UGT1A1) can cause much larger differences in drug exposure than body size alone.

Average BSA for adults: males ~1.9 m²; females ~1.6 m². The commonly cited reference value is 1.73 m² for a 'standard' 70 kg, 170 cm adult (historically used as the reference for GFR normalization). Newborns: ~0.25 m². 10-year-old child: ~1.14 m². Knowing average BSA helps verify BSA calculations are in a plausible range — BSA below 1.2 m² or above 2.5 m² for adults is unusual and should be rechecked.

For typical adults (50–100 kg, 150–190 cm), all three major BSA formulas (Mosteller, DuBois, Haycock) agree within about 2–3%. Mosteller is preferred because it's simpler to calculate mentally or program. DuBois is the historical gold standard against which others are validated. Haycock is more accurate for infants and children because it was derived from pediatric data — Mosteller and DuBois were developed using adult data and perform less well at the extremes of pediatric size. For clinical chemotherapy dosing, Mosteller is the practical standard in most US and UK oncology protocols.