Burn Lund-Browder Chart

Lund-Browder gives the head 19% of body surface at birth, falling to 7% in adults, while each thigh rises from 5.5% to 9.5% and each lower leg from 5% to 7%. Add the burned share of each region (partial and full thickness only, never superficial) for %TBSA. Parkland: 4 mL × kg × %TBSA over 24 h, half in the first 8 h from the time of burn.

Use the Burn Lund-Browder Chart

Head, thigh and lower-leg percentages change with age.

Select Burned Regions

Tick a region, then set how much of it is burned and the depth.

Head & neck
Trunk
Arms
Legs (age-adjusted)

Estimated TBSA Burned

0%

partial + full thickness, Lund-Browder

0%50%100%

Partial thickness

0%

Full thickness

0%

Superficial (excluded)

0%

Rule of Nines (adult) for the same areas: 0%

Select regions to compare.

Select regions to begin

    First-24-hour fluid estimate

    Uses the partial + full-thickness %TBSA above. Time counts from the burn, not from arrival.

    Enter weight and select regions to estimate fluids.

    Not medical advice. Educational estimate only. Burn assessment, referral and fluid resuscitation must be directed by qualified clinicians and adjusted to the patient's response. Seek emergency care for significant burns.

    Lund-Browder chart: % TBSA by region and age

    Whole-region values (front + back). Each age column sums to 100%.

    Region <1 1–4 5–9 10–14 15 Adult
    Head 1917131197
    Neck 222222
    Anterior trunk 131313131313
    Posterior trunk 131313131313
    Each buttock 2.52.52.52.52.52.5
    Genitalia 111111
    Each upper arm 444444
    Each forearm 333333
    Each hand 2.52.52.52.52.52.5
    Each thigh 5.56.588.599.5
    Each lower leg 555.566.57
    Each foot 3.53.53.53.53.53.5
    Total 100100100100100100

    Rule of Nines vs Lund-Browder

    % TBSA. The Rule of Nines is an adult approximation; in small children it underestimates the head and overestimates the legs.

    Region Rule of Nines (adult) L-B adult L-B 5–9 y L-B <1 y
    Head and neck 991521
    Each arm (incl. hand) 99.59.59.5
    Anterior trunk 18131313
    Posterior trunk incl. buttocks 18181818
    Each leg (incl. foot) 18201714
    Genitalia / perineum 1111

    Method and worked example

    • %TBSA = Σ (region % for the age × share of the region burned), counting partial- and full-thickness burns only.
    • Parkland: 24-h crystalloid = 4 mL × kg × %TBSA; half in the first 8 h from the time of burn, half over the next 16 h. Modified Brooke uses 2 mL; ABLS starts adults at 2 mL and children at 3 mL.
    • If the patient arrives late, the remaining first-half volume is given over the hours left until hour 8.
    • Children under 30 kg also receive maintenance fluid with dextrose (Holliday-Segar: 4 mL/kg/h for the first 10 kg, 2 mL/kg/h for the next 10 kg, 1 mL/kg/h above 20 kg).
    • Formal resuscitation is usually considered above about 20% TBSA in adults and 10–15% in children; fluids are then titrated to urine output.

    Example: an adult weighing 70 kg with partial-thickness burns of the whole head (7%), the whole anterior trunk (13%) and the front half of the left upper arm (4% × 50% = 2%) has 22% TBSA. Parkland gives 4 × 70 × 22 = 6,160 mL: 3,080 mL in the first 8 hours (385 mL/h if started at the time of burn, 513 mL/h if started 2 hours later) and 192.5 mL/h for hours 8–24. The adult Rule of Nines for the same areas gives 26.9%, because it counts the anterior trunk as 18%.

    Source: Lund CC, Browder NC. The estimation of areas of burns. Surg Gynecol Obstet 1944;79:352–358; American Burn Association, Advanced Burn Life Support.

    Summary

    The Lund-Browder chart estimates the percentage of total body surface area (%TBSA) burned using region percentages that change with age: a child's head is proportionally larger and the legs smaller than an adult's. This calculator applies the chart for six age bands, lets you enter the burned share and depth of each region, excludes superficial (first-degree) burns, compares the result with the adult Rule of Nines and estimates first-24-hour fluids with the Parkland (4 mL) or modified Brooke (2 mL) formula. It is an educational aid, not medical advice.

    How it works

    1. Select the age band: under 1, 1–4, 5–9, 10–14, 15 years or adult. The head, thigh and lower-leg percentages change with age; all other regions are fixed.
    2. Tick each burned region. Enter the share of that region that is burned (100% for the whole region, 50% for the front or back only) and the depth.
    3. Only partial-thickness (second-degree) and full-thickness (third-degree) burns count toward %TBSA; superficial (first-degree) erythema is shown separately and excluded.
    4. The tool sums region % × burned share for %TBSA, splits it into partial and full thickness, and recomputes the same selection with the adult Rule of Nines for comparison.
    5. Enter weight and hours since the burn to estimate 24-hour crystalloid volume (mL/kg/%TBSA), the hourly rate needed to give half in the first 8 hours from the time of burn, the rate for the next 16 hours and, for children under 30 kg, maintenance fluid.

    Use cases

    • Estimating %TBSA in children, where the Rule of Nines overestimates leg burns and underestimates head burns.
    • Documenting a burn chart with partial-thickness and full-thickness areas separated.
    • Checking Parkland or modified Brooke starting rates when the patient arrives hours after the burn.
    • Teaching the difference between the Lund-Browder chart and the Rule of Nines.
    • Checking whether a burn meets common burn-centre referral criteria.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Last updated: 2026-10-10 · Reviewed by Nham Vu