This blood calculator helps you answer to how much blood is in the human body, more precisely in your own body depending on the height and weight. Discover more about the Nadler Method and on the blood composition below the form.
How does the blood calculator work?
This health tool will estimate how much blood is there in your body by taking into account your gender, height and weight. You can input your measurements in either metric or English but be informed that the result will be provided in liters as this is the preferred unit in this situation. According to your data you will then be given the amount of blood you should expect running through your circulatory system.
Example blood calculation:
By using this blood calculator in case of a male, weighing 220 lbs at a height of 6ft 1in, the total blood would be 6.15 liters.
This is estimated by Nadler's method for males = 0.3669 * Height in M3 + 0.03219 * Weight in kg + 0.6041 in which the lbs was transformed to kg and feet, inches to meters.
The total blood volume
This refers to the amount of blood in the human body. This amount can vary with age, gender, weight, height and different medical conditions.
Normally blood makes 7- 8% of human body weight. In adults, this amounts to 4.5- 6 quarts (5- 6 litres) of blood. One unit of blood is roughly equivalent to one pint. Men, on average, have 4.5- 6 quarts of blood while women have 3.5- 4 quarts.
The Nadler Method is a way to calculate the total blood volume in the human body. Different formulas are considered for the two genders. The other variables needed are the height and weight of the person tested.
Nadler Method is based on the following formulas:
For Males = 0.3669 * Height in M3 + 0.03219 * Weight in kgs + 0.6041
For Females = 0.3561 * Height in M3 + 0.03308 * Weight in kgs + 0.1833
The Nadler Method usually applies to adults or children over 35 kgs. For small children, total blood volume should be calculated from their weight, by adding 70 milliliters per kilogram.
Blood components
The most important components of the blood are red cells, white cells, platelets and plasma, all humans have them and there are no significant differences in healthy individuals.
Red blood cells, erythrocytes are cells specialized in carrying oxygen from the lungs to all the tissues of the body and transporting carbon dioxide from the cells to the lungs to be exhaled.
White blood cells, leukocytes are responsible with the immune system. These are a smaller component of the blood and can be found in different other places of the body like the spleen, liver and lymph glands.
Platelets, thrombocytes are fragments of cells produced in the bone marrow that are specialised in forming clots to prevent the body from losing too much blood in case of an injury. They are a vital component for coagulation by releasing coagulating chemicals and by interacting with clotting proteins in a cascading manner.
Plasma is the liquid portion of the blood, representing more than 55%, that carries the other cell components through the body. It is basically a fluid that contains water, sugars, fats, hormones and proteins such as albumin, gamma globulins, fibrinogen and many other components of the blood.
Blood types
These represent the classification of blood based on the presence or absence of antigens and antibodies. Antigens are protein molecules found on the surface of the red blood cells while antibodies are found in plasma. The type of blood is determined by inherited genes and is divided in different groups. One of the most important blood group system is the ABO System:
There are four major blood groups determined by the presence or absence of the two antigens: A and B on the surface of the red cells.
Group A - has A antigens on the red blood cells and B antibodies in the plasma.
Group B - has B antigens on the red blood cells and A antibodies in the plasma.
Group AB - has both A and B antigens on the red blood cells and no antibodies.
Group 0 - has no antigens but has both A and B antibodies in the plasma.
References
1) Maton A, Hopkins J, McLaughlin CW, Johnson S, Quon Warner M, LaHart D, Wright JD. (1993) Human Biology and Health. Englewood Cliffs NJ: Prentice Hall.
2) Letsky EA, Leck I, Bowman JM. (2000) Chapter 12: Rhesus and other haemolytic diseases. Antenatal & neonatal screening (2nd ed.) Oxford University Press.
3) Table of blood group systems. (2008) International Society of Blood Transfusion.
23 Dec, 2014