Calculator
24-hour total
–mL
- First 8 hr: –
- Next 16 hr: –
Educational tool. The result is only a starting point: the actual fluid order comes from the provider and is adjusted based on urine output and the patient's condition.
How to use it
- Estimate %TBSA burned with the rule of nines (adults) or the Lund-Browder chart (children), counting only partial- and full-thickness burns.
- Multiply 4 mL × weight in kg × %TBSA burned.
- Give half over the first 8 hours from the time of the burn, not from admission.
- Give the other half over the next 16 hours.
- Monitor hourly urine output with an indwelling urinary catheter and notify the provider if it drifts from the ordered target.
Worked example
A 70-kg adult with 30% TBSA burned: 4 × 70 × 30 = 8,400 mL over 24 hours. First 8 hours: 4,200 mL (525 mL/hr). Next 16 hours: 4,200 mL (262.5 mL/hr).
Variations
The classic formula uses 4 mL. Because of the risk of fluid overload, the American Burn Association's ABLS course guidelines suggest starting at 2 mL/kg/% in adults with thermal burns and 3 mL/kg/% in children, then titrating to urine output. Follow your facility's protocol.
Related nursing care
- Hourly urine output and fluid balance: Inadequate fluid volume (00421).
- Monitoring for hypotension and poor perfusion: Risk for shock (00205).
- Preventing infection of burned areas: Risk for infection (00004).
- Pain management: Acute pain (00132).
Frequently asked questions
What is the Parkland formula?
4 mL of crystalloid (lactated Ringer's) × body weight in kg × percent total body surface area (TBSA) burned. Give half in the first 8 hours from the time of the burn and the other half over the next 16 hours.
Which burns count toward %TBSA?
Partial-thickness (second-degree) and full-thickness (third-degree) burns. Superficial (first-degree) burns are not included in the calculation.
Do the first 8 hours start at admission?
No, they start at the time of the burn. If the patient arrives late, whatever remains of the first half is given over the time left in that 8-hour window.
How do you know if fluid resuscitation is adequate?
By urine output: the usual target in adults is 0.5 mL/kg/hr. The formula is only a starting point; the provider adjusts the rate based on the patient's response.
Sources: StatPearls: Parkland Formula · Journal of Burn Care & Research: initial burn resuscitation formula · EB Medicine: Parkland Formula. Reviewed November 2, 2026.