Estimate calories and kilojoules burned longboarding, based on your body weight, riding speed, and session length. This calculator uses three speed-based tiers drawn from the Sports section of the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: slow speed cruising around 13.3 km/h, a typical commuting or cruising pace around 16.2 km/h, and a fast pace around 18.4 km/h that covers a harder push effort or a moderate downhill run. Longboarding uses a longer, more stable deck built for smooth, sustained rolling rather than the flip tricks and ramp work of street or park skateboarding, so this page is deliberately separate from our general Skateboarding Calorie Calculator, which covers trick-focused and park-style riding.
Longboarding calorie burn is estimated with calories = MET × body weight (kg) × duration (hours), using three speed-based MET values from the Sports section of the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: slow speed, about 13.3 km/h (MET 6.8, code 15595), typical speed, about 16.2 km/h (MET 8.3, code 15596), and fast speed, about 18.4 km/h (MET 10.5, code 15597). A 70 kg longboarder over a 45-minute session burns around 357 kcal (about 1,494 kJ) at slow speed, around 436 kcal (about 1,823 kJ) at typical speed, and around 551 kcal (about 2,306 kJ) at fast speed. None of these three MET values is flagged in the Compendium as an estimated figure — all three are literature-supported.
| Speed Tier | MET | Calories | Kilojoules |
|---|
The calculation uses a MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) value for your longboarding speed, your body weight, and how long you rode. This calculator uses three MET tiers taken directly from the Sports section of the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities — slow speed, about 13.3 km/h (code 15595, MET 6.8), typical speed, about 16.2 km/h (code 15596, MET 8.3), and fast speed, about 18.4 km/h (code 15597, MET 10.5). Because longboard sessions are usually measured in minutes rather than hours, the calculator takes your minutes input and converts it to hours (hours = minutes ÷ 60) before applying the formula.
| Speed Tier | MET | Calories (70 kg, 45 min) | Kilojoules |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slow speed (~13.3 km/h) | 6.8 | 357 kcal | 1,494 kJ |
| Typical speed (~16.2 km/h) | 8.3 | 436 kcal | 1,823 kJ |
| Fast speed (~18.4 km/h) | 10.5 | 551 kcal | 2,306 kJ |
A longboard is a longer, wider and generally more stable version of a skateboard, typically somewhere from 90 cm to 150 cm long, often built with a flexible deck, larger soft wheels and a longer wheelbase. Those design choices make longboards well suited to sustained rolling at speed — cruising around a neighbourhood, commuting to work or study, carving smooth turns down a hill, or riding a dedicated downhill run — rather than the flip tricks, grinds and ramp or rail work that define street and park skateboarding. Because the two disciplines demand such different movement patterns and energy costs, this calculator treats longboarding as its own activity with its own speed-based MET values, kept separate from our general Skateboarding Calorie Calculator, which covers cruising, trick practice and vigorous park-style skating on a standard trick deck.
The three tiers on this page track riding speed rather than riding style, because sustained speed is the main driver of energy cost once you're rolling on a longboard. Slow speed, around 13.3 km/h, matches an easy, relaxed cruise — the kind of pace you'd hold chatting with a friend riding alongside you or gently rolling through a park. Typical speed, around 16.2 km/h, is closer to a brisk commuting or fitness-cruising pace, with sustained pushing and carving rather than mostly coasting. Fast speed, around 18.4 km/h, reflects a harder push effort or the kind of speed carried into a moderate downhill run, where maintaining control and line choice take real physical effort on top of the higher speed itself. Match the tier to your average speed over the whole session, not just your top speed on a single fast stretch.
The table below holds riding speed constant at the typical speed tier (MET 8.3) for a 45-minute session, so you can see how much body weight alone changes the total.
| Body Weight | MET | Calories (45 min) | Kilojoules |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55 kg | 8.3 | 342 kcal | 1,432 kJ |
| 65 kg | 8.3 | 405 kcal | 1,693 kJ |
| 75 kg | 8.3 | 467 kcal | 1,953 kJ |
| 85 kg | 8.3 | 529 kcal | 2,214 kJ |
| 95 kg | 8.3 | 591 kcal | 2,474 kJ |
Cruises, commutes and longer downhill sessions all run to different lengths. Here body weight is fixed at 70 kg while session length and speed tier both change, so you can compare how much a longer ride and a faster pace each add to the total.
| Session Length | Slow Speed (MET 6.8) | Typical Speed (MET 8.3) | Fast Speed (MET 10.5) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 minutes | 119 kcal / 498 kJ | 145 kcal / 608 kJ | 184 kcal / 769 kJ |
| 30 minutes | 238 kcal / 996 kJ | 290 kcal / 1,215 kJ | 368 kcal / 1,538 kJ |
| 45 minutes | 357 kcal / 1,494 kJ | 436 kcal / 1,823 kJ | 551 kcal / 2,306 kJ |
| 60 minutes | 476 kcal / 1,992 kJ | 581 kcal / 2,431 kJ | 735 kcal / 3,075 kJ |
Australian nutrition panels list energy in kilojoules, not calories, so it's worth converting your ride total into the same unit your food packaging uses. Multiply your calorie figure by 4.184 to get kilojoules. A 70 kg longboarder riding at fast speed for 45 minutes burns about 551 kcal, which is roughly 2,306 kJ — a useful figure to weigh up against the energy value of a recovery snack or drink after a longer downhill session.
How many calories does longboarding burn?
It depends on your riding speed and session length. Using this calculator's three tiers for a 70 kg longboarder over a 45-minute session: slow speed, about 13.3 km/h (MET 6.8) burns about 357 kcal (1,494 kJ), typical speed, about 16.2 km/h (MET 8.3) burns about 436 kcal (1,823 kJ), and fast speed, about 18.4 km/h (MET 10.5) burns about 551 kcal (2,306 kJ). Lighter or heavier riders, and shorter or longer sessions, will see proportionally lower or higher totals, so enter your own weight and session length above for a personalised estimate.
How is calories burned longboarding calculated?
The calculator multiplies a MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) value for your riding speed by your body weight in kilograms and your session duration in hours: calories = MET × body weight (kg) × duration (hours). Because most longboard sessions are measured in minutes rather than hours, the calculator takes your minutes input and divides by 60 before running the formula. The three MET values used — 6.8 for slow speed, about 13.3 km/h (code 15595), 8.3 for typical speed, about 16.2 km/h (code 15596), and 10.5 for fast speed, about 18.4 km/h (code 15597) — come directly from the Sports section of the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. The kilocalorie result is then multiplied by 4.184 to give the equivalent figure in kilojoules, the unit used on Australian food labels.
How does longboarding differ from regular skateboarding for calorie burn?
Longboarding and standard trick or park skateboarding use different MET values on this site because they're genuinely different activities. This calculator's three tiers (MET 6.8 to 10.5) are speed-based, reflecting sustained rolling at a slow cruise through to a fast or downhill pace on a longer, more stable longboard deck. Our separate Skateboarding Calorie Calculator instead covers general cruising, trick practice and vigorous park-style riding on a standard trick deck (MET 5.0 to 6.0), where energy cost comes from repeated pops, landings and technical manoeuvres rather than sustained speed. If most of your riding is flip tricks, grinds or ramp and rail work, use the Skateboarding Calorie Calculator instead; if you're riding a longboard for sustained cruising, commuting or downhill speed, this page is the better match.
Does body weight affect the result?
Yes. Because calories equal MET multiplied by body weight in kilograms multiplied by duration in hours, body weight is a direct multiplier in the formula. At the typical speed tier (MET 8.3) for a 45-minute session, a 95 kg longboarder burns roughly 591 kcal compared with about 342 kcal for a 55 kg longboarder completing the identical session at the identical speed.
What are the limitations of this calorie estimate?
This calculator uses published MET values multiplied by your body weight and session duration, which gives a solid population-level estimate rather than a personalised measurement. It doesn't account for hills, wind, stopping and starting at intersections, how much of a session was spent pushing versus coasting, board setup, terrain surface, or your individual riding efficiency. Treat the result as a reliable planning figure for time spent riding at a given average speed, not an exact physiological measurement.
Is longboarding a good workout?
Yes, particularly at typical and fast speeds. All three MET values used on this page sit well above light sedentary activity, and both the typical speed tier (MET 8.3) and fast speed tier (MET 10.5) rate as vigorous-intensity exercise, comparable to a solid cardio session, once sustained pushing, core engagement for balance and carving, and leg work for pumping and stance are factored in. Even the slow speed tier (MET 6.8) is meaningfully active. Regular longboarding for commuting or fitness cruising can be a genuine contributor to weekly physical activity, on top of being a practical way to get around.
What safety precautions should I take for downhill longboarding?
Downhill and fast-speed longboarding carries real fall and traffic risk, so protective gear matters more here than on a casual cruise. At minimum, wear a properly fitted helmet and appropriate protective gear such as wrist guards, knee pads & slide gloves, and only ride downhill runs or in traffic once you've built up your skill, braking and sliding technique at lower speeds first. Choose routes that are legal, well-maintained and appropriate for your skill level, ride within your control at all times, and never treat a public road as a practice downhill run without proper closure, supervision or experience.
What's the difference between the three speed tiers on this page?
The three tiers track average riding speed over your session: slow speed, about 13.3 km/h (MET 6.8), is an easy, relaxed cruising pace; typical speed, about 16.2 km/h (MET 8.3), is a brisker commuting or fitness-cruising pace with sustained pushing and carving; and fast speed, about 18.4 km/h (MET 10.5), reflects a harder push effort or the kind of speed carried into a moderate downhill run. Match the tier to your average speed across the whole session rather than your peak speed on a single fast stretch, since most rides include some slower sections too.