Parkland Formula Calculator
Calculate Parkland burn fluid needs.
Result
How it is calculated
The Parkland formula estimates the crystalloid fluid for the first 24 hours after a burn: Total (mL) = 4 × weight (kg) × %TBSA, where %TBSA is the percentage of total body surface area burned, entered as a number such as 20. Half of the total is planned for the first 8 hours from the time of injury, and the rest over the next 16. The tool shows the total, the first-8-hour volume (total / 2) and the hourly rate for those 8 hours (total / 16). Weight must be above zero and the burn percentage cannot be negative. It is an opening estimate only: a clinician adjusts fluids to the patient's urine output and response, and the formula is a reference, not treatment advice.
Worked example
An adult weighing 70 kg with burns over 20% of the body surface. Total = 4 × 70 × 20 = 5,600 mL over 24 hours. Half, 2,800 mL, goes in the first 8 hours, which is 2,800 / 8 = 350 mL/h. The remaining 2,800 mL is spread over the following 16 hours. Real infusion rates are then changed according to how the patient responds.
Common mistakes
- Entering 0.2 instead of 20 for the burn percentage, which makes the total 100 times too small.
- Entering weight in pounds; the field expects kilograms.
- Counting from the time of arrival at hospital, not from the time of the burn; the 8 hours start at injury.
- Including areas of redness only (superficial burns); the percentage is usually for deeper burns.
- Treating the number as a fixed prescription; it is a starting point to be adjusted to the patient.
About this calculator
This calculator applies the Parkland Formula: 4 mL × body weight (kg) × %TBSA burned = total crystalloid fluid needed in the first 24 hours after a major burn, with half given in the first 8 hours from the time of injury and the rest over the following 16 hours.
It's a standard tool in burn units, emergency departments, and by EMS and trauma teams for planning early fluid resuscitation after significant thermal injuries. Burn nurses and residents use it alongside %TBSA charts (like the Rule of Nines) to get a starting fluid rate before adjusting to urine output.
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