BSA Reference Sheet
Both standard formulas, and the gap between them. A reference sheet, not a dosing sheet.
BFCBrilliance · bfcbrilliance.com/tools/body-surface-area-calculator
The formulas
- MOSTELLER
- √(height cm x weight kg ÷ 3600)
- DU BOIS
- 0.007184 x cm^0.725 x kg^0.425
- 170 cm, 70 kg — Mosteller
- 1.82 m²
- 170 cm, 70 kg — Du Bois
- 1.81 m²
- Used for
- chemo and antibiotic dosing, cardiac index
- Also used for
- indexing eGFR to body size
- 1 inch / 1 pound
- 2.54 cm / 0.4536 kg
- ⚠ Across formulas in use
- BSA can vary by up to 0.5 m²
- ⚠ NOT A DOSING TOOL
- the prescriber owns that calculation
Reference
- Name
- Date
- Height
- Weight
- MOSTELLER BSA
- DU BOIS BSA
- Difference
- Formula the protocol uses
- Questions for the clinical team
Questions worth asking your clinical team
- Which BSA formula does this protocol use?
- What else feeds into my dose besides body size?
- Does my kidney or liver function change it?
- Is the dose capped, and if so at what?
- Does it get recalculated if my weight changes during treatment?
- What should I report between appointments?
- Who do I contact if something does not seem right?
This sheet is for understanding, not for acting
Body surface area is one input into a dose that also depends on organ function, other medicines, previous responses and the specific protocol. The people prescribing hold all of that; this page holds two formulas. If a number here does not match what you were told, the answer is to ask them — never to adjust anything.
Two formulas, two answers
Mosteller and Du Bois agree closely at average adult sizes and drift apart towards the extremes of height and weight, because one is a square root of a product and the other raises each measurement to its own power. Across the formulas in clinical use, values for the same person can differ by as much as 0.5 m² — so any figure derived from BSA carries that uncertainty with it.