30 min jumping rope burns 345–610 cal at moderate pace. 130 lb = 345, 155 lb = 410, 200 lb = 530, 230 lb = 610 cal. Free MET table + calculator.
Thirty minutes of moderate jumping rope (MET 11.8) burns approximately 345–610 calories: a 130 lb person burns ~345 cal, a 155 lb person burns ~410 cal, a 200 lb person burns ~530 cal, and a 230 lb person burns ~610 cal.
Thirty continuous minutes of rope is an advanced session — most people work up to it by stringing together 5–6 rounds of 5 minutes with short rests. At this duration, jump rope becomes a full standalone cardio workout comparable to a 5K run, but with much smaller space requirements and lower knee impact if landing mechanics are clean.
Thirty minutes of moderate rope burns roughly the same as running a slow 5K, more than an hour of standard hatha yoga, and about 60% more than 30 minutes of brisk walking. It sits just below 30 minutes of vigorous swimming or fast cycling.
A weekly 30-minute rope session anchors a fat-loss program: 3 sessions burn ~1,200 cal for a 155 lb person, roughly 0.35 lb of fat weekly. For weight-loss maintenance, alternate 30-minute rope days with lower-impact activities to protect calves and Achilles tendons.
Direct answer: 30 minutes of jumping rope burns an estimated 348–614 calories, depending on body weight (180 lb / 82 kg: ~484 kcal). Intensity assumed: Moderate (100–120 skips/min) (MET 11.8). This is an estimate, not a measurement.
| Body weight | Calories burned |
|---|---|
| 130 lb (59 kg) | ~348 cal |
| 155 lb (70 kg) | ~413 cal |
| 180 lb (82 kg) | ~484 cal |
| 205 lb (93 kg) | ~549 cal |
| 230 lb (104 kg) | ~614 cal |
Example: At MET 11.8, a 180 lb (82 kg) person doing 30 minutes of jumping rope burns approximately 484 calories: 11.8 × 82 × 0.50 h ≈ 484 kcal.
There is no single universal calorie figure for this activity. At 180 lb (82 kg) and the same 30 minutes:
| Style / effort | MET | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Slow (under 100 skips/min) | 8.8 | ~361 cal |
| Fast (over 120 skips/min) | 12.3 | ~504 cal |
An estimated 348–614 calories, depending on body weight. A 180 lb (82 kg) person burns about 484 kcal, calculated as MET 11.8 × 82 kg × 0.50 hours.
About 16.1 kcal per minute for a 180 lb (82 kg) person, or 5.9 kcal per kilogram of body weight across the whole session.
Because the MET formula scales directly with body mass: a 130 lb person burns about 348 kcal here versus 614 kcal for a 230 lb person — a 76% spread for the identical session.
From the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, the reference database of measured MET intensities for physical activities. Every figure on this page uses that value in the formula Calories = MET × body weight (kg) × duration (hours).
They are estimates from population averages, not measurements. Individual results commonly land within about ±15% of the figure shown; actual intensity and pace, body composition and fitness, terrain and technique all shift the real number. The values are gross calories, so they include the energy you would have burned at rest.
Open the jumping rope calorie calculator to enter your own weight, intensity and duration.