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Health & Fitness · Hydration

Water Intake Calculator

Estimate your daily water needs from body weight, plus a little extra for exercise.

Units
kg
min
Estimated daily water
2.80litres/day

About 11.7 cups or 94.7 US fl oz per day, spread across your waking hours.

Cups (240 ml)
11.7
US fluid oz
94.7
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A common rule of thumb is about 35 ml of water per kilogram of body weight per day, plus roughly 350 ml for every 30 minutes of exercise. So a 70 kg person who trains 30 minutes needs 35 × 70 + 350 = 2,800 ml, which is 2.8 litres — about 11.7 cups or 94.7 US fluid ounces per day.

How the estimate works

There is no single official number for how much water a person should drink, so this tool uses a widely quoted heuristic rather than a clinical formula. It scales a baseline to your body size and adds a top-up for the fluid you lose through sweat during exercise. Bigger bodies and longer workouts push the number up.

The result counts total water, not only what you drink from a glass. Food, coffee, tea, milk, and juice all contribute, so your beverage target in practice is usually lower than the headline figure. Treat the number as a daily aim to spread across your waking hours, not a quota to hit in one sitting.

litres/day = (35 × weight_kg + 350 × minutes ÷ 30) ÷ 1000

Baseline ≈ 35 ml per kg. Exercise adds ≈ 350 ml per 30 minutes. 1 cup = 240 ml; 1 L ≈ 33.814 US fl oz.

Worked example: 70 kg with 30 minutes of exercise

Scale the baseline to body weight, add the exercise top-up, then convert the millilitres to litres, cups, and fluid ounces:

  1. 1
    Convert weight to kilograms. If you use pounds, multiply by 0.4536. A 154 lb person is about 70 kg.
  2. 2
    Find the baseline. 35 ml × 70 kg = 2,450 ml from body weight alone.
  3. 3
    Add for exercise. 350 ml × (30 ÷ 30) = 350 ml for a 30-minute session.
  4. 4
    Total the millilitres. 2,450 + 350 = 2,800 ml, which is 2.8 litres per day.
  5. 5
    Convert the units. 2,800 ÷ 240 ≈ 11.7 cups, and 2.8 × 33.814 ≈ 94.7 US fluid ounces.

Baseline water by body weight

Baseline only, at 35 ml per kg — before any exercise top-up. 1 cup = 240 ml; 1 L ≈ 33.814 US fl oz.

Body weightLitres/dayCupsUS fl oz
50 kg (110 lb)1.75 L≈ 7.3≈ 59.2
60 kg (132 lb)2.10 L≈ 8.8≈ 71.0
70 kg (154 lb)2.45 L≈ 10.2≈ 82.8
80 kg (176 lb)2.80 L≈ 11.7≈ 94.7
90 kg (198 lb)3.15 L≈ 13.1≈ 106.5

Reading the number sensibly

Hydration needs vary widely from person to person and day to day. Hot or humid climates, high altitude, a salty or high-protein diet, pregnancy, breastfeeding, illness with fever or vomiting, and certain medications all change how much fluid you need — sometimes substantially. A good real-world check is simple: pale-yellow urine and rarely feeling thirsty usually means you are drinking enough.

This is a rough informational estimate, not medical advice. If you have a heart, kidney, or other condition that affects fluid balance, or you are unsure how much to drink, ask a qualified healthcare professional.

Why base water intake on body weight?
Larger bodies hold more water and generally lose more of it, so scaling to weight gives a more personal estimate than a flat “8 glasses a day”. The 35 ml per kg figure is a rule of thumb, not a clinical measurement, so treat it as a starting point.
Does coffee or tea count toward the total?
Yes. Ordinary coffee and tea are mostly water and hydrate you overall; the caffeine is only mildly diuretic at normal intakes. They count toward your daily fluid, as do milk, juice, and the water in food.
How much extra should I drink for exercise?
This tool adds about 350 ml for every 30 minutes of exercise to cover sweat losses. Heavy sweating, heat, or long endurance sessions can need more, so drink to thirst and top up after hard workouts.
Should I count water from food?
The estimate is total water, and food supplies a meaningful share — fruit, vegetables, soup, and yoghurt are especially water-rich. That is why the fluid you actually need to drink is usually less than the headline number.
Can I drink too much water?
Yes. Drinking far more than you need over a short time can dilute blood sodium (hyponatraemia), which is dangerous. Spread intake through the day rather than forcing large volumes at once, and let thirst guide you.
Metric or imperial — which do I enter?
Either. Switch the unit toggle to enter weight in kilograms or pounds; the tool converts internally at 1 lb ≈ 0.4536 kg and always reports the result in litres, cups, and US fluid ounces.