Water Intake Calculator

Find out how much water you should drink each day, based on your weight and how active you are.

Exercise 3–5 days/week

Daily Water IntakeEnter your weight to calculate your daily water intake

What is this water intake calculator based on?

It scales a clinically-cited adequate-intake range — roughly 30 ml/kg of body weight for a sedentary person up to 40 ml/kg for someone very active — by your own weight and activity level. More activity means more fluid loss through sweat, so the per-kg rate rises with it.

Worked Example — 70 kg, Moderate activity

2.45 litres/day2,450 ml · about 9.8 glasses (250 ml each)

Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on your weight and activity — 2 litres works out to about 29 ml/kg for a 70 kg sedentary person, roughly in range, but a more active or heavier person would need more. Calculate your own number above rather than relying on a flat 2-litre rule of thumb.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • This is weight and activity only — not age, sex, or climate. Hot weather, illness, and individual differences all change real needs; treat the result as a starting baseline, not an exact prescription.
  • Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and creatine use aren't factored in. All three genuinely increase water needs beyond this formula — use this as a baseline and add to it based on your doctor's or a nutrition guide's specific advice.
  • More water isn't unlimited water. Drinking far beyond your calculated need doesn't add benefit and, in extreme excess, can be harmful — this number is a target, not a floor to exceed.

References

  • European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
  • American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)

Last reviewed July 2026

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