The Parkland formula gives an initial estimate of crystalloid fluid for a person with a significant burn. It uses body weight and the percentage of total body surface area affected by partial-thickness or full-thickness burns. Burn resuscitation is emergency care: this page can explain the arithmetic, but it cannot assess burn depth, measure the burned area, choose a fluid, or set a safe infusion plan. Call emergency services for a serious burn, breathing trouble, confusion, faintness, burns to the face or airway, electrical or chemical burns, or burns covering a large area.
Parkland Formula Calculator
Results
Total amount/8h
0
IV flow
0
Total amount/16h
0
IV flow
0
Total fluids
0
Table of Contents
1
What is Parkland Formula ?
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How to Use This Calculator
- Enter the person’s measured weight and select kilograms, pounds, or grams. Use a current clinical weight where possible rather than a rough guess.
- Enter the qualifying burn area as a percentage from 0 to 100. This percentage should include partial-thickness and full-thickness injury, not simple surface redness.
- Select Calculate. The page converts weight to kilograms and multiplies 4 mL by weight in kilograms by the whole-number burn percentage.
- Read the estimated 24-hour total, the first-half amount and hourly average, and the second-half amount and hourly average.
The clock starts at the time of the burn, not when the person reaches a hospital. If two hours have already passed, the first half is generally considered over the six hours remaining in that initial eight-hour window. Real care is adjusted to the person’s response and local burn protocol. Children also need separate maintenance-fluid assessment.
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Formula Used
Initial 24-hour estimate (mL) = 4 × weight (kg) × % total body surface area burned.
Half of that estimate belongs to the first eight hours after injury and half to the following sixteen hours. The displayed hourly figures simply divide each half by its nominal time window. The percentage is entered as a whole number, so a 20% burn is entered as 20 rather than 0.20.
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Variables Explained
| Input or result | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Weight | Body weight converted to kilograms before calculation. |
| Burn percentage | Clinically assessed partial-thickness plus full-thickness burn area as a percent of total body surface area. |
| 4 mL factor | The classic Parkland coefficient used by this page; some current protocols use a different starting factor. |
| First eight hours | One half of the estimate, timed from when the burn happened. |
| Next sixteen hours | The other half of the estimate, covering hours 8 through 24 after injury. |
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Worked Example
Suppose a clinician has assessed a 70 kg adult with qualifying burns over 20% of total body surface area. The page calculates 4 × 70 × 20 = 5,600 mL for the first 24 hours. It shows 2,800 mL for the first eight hours, an average of 350 mL per hour, followed by 2,800 mL over the next sixteen hours, an average of 175 mL per hour. If the injury occurred two hours before treatment began, the first-half timing has already been running for two hours; the calculator does not automatically shorten that window.
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Why Use This Calculator?
Treat the result as a starting estimate for trained burn teams, not as a fixed prescription. Clinicians reassess circulation, urine output, breathing, other injuries, fluid already received, age, pregnancy, kidney or heart disease, and signs of too little or too much fluid. The correct total can move away from the estimate as those findings change. The calculation also depends heavily on burn-area assessment; confusing superficial redness with deeper injury can substantially inflate the number.
Do not try to deliver this volume at home. Serious burns need immediate cooling with cool running water where appropriate, protection from further injury, and urgent professional assessment. Follow local emergency guidance and do not delay help while using a calculator.
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Common Mistakes
- Starting the eight-hour period at hospital arrival instead of the time of injury.
- Including superficial burns in the percentage or estimating the percentage without suitable training.
- Entering 0.20 for a 20% burn, which makes the result one hundred times too small.
- Using pounds as kilograms or overlooking fluid already given before transfer.
- Reading the hourly averages as a complete treatment plan. Ongoing fluids require monitoring and clinical adjustment.
- Forgetting that pediatric patients may need maintenance fluid in addition to burn resuscitation fluid.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does the burn percentage include ordinary redness?
No. The reference method uses partial-thickness and full-thickness burned area. A trained professional should judge depth and surface area because a visual guess can be seriously wrong.
When does the first eight-hour period begin?
It begins when the burn occurred. Time spent travelling or waiting is part of that period, so the care team needs the most accurate injury time available.
Why does the page split the estimate into two parts?
The classic schedule assigns half to the first eight hours and half to the next sixteen. Actual delivery is adjusted for elapsed time, prior fluid and clinical response.
Can this result be used for a child?
Children need specialist assessment. Burn-fluid calculations and maintenance requirements differ by age and protocol, and blood glucose and fluid balance may need close monitoring.
Should I enter 15 or 0.15 for a 15% burn?
Enter 15. This formula uses percentage points. Entering 0.15 would produce only one hundredth of the intended estimate.
Does the total include fluid given before hospital arrival?
The formula estimates the whole first-day amount. A clinical team considers fluid already received when deciding what remains and how quickly it can be given.
What should I do for a serious burn now?
Contact emergency services and follow their instructions. Urgent help is especially important for large, deep, chemical, electrical, facial, airway, hand, foot, joint or genital burns, or any breathing problem.
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Sources & References
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