Carbohydrate Calculator

Convert a daily calorie target and carb percentage into grams of carbohydrate per day and per meal. Free.

Independently verified for accuracy

Calculator by Toolsloft ↗
Carbs per day
250 g
Carbs per meal
83.33 g
Calories from carbs
1000

This carbohydrate calculator turns a daily calorie target and a carb percentage into grams of carbs per day, then splits that across your meals. Use it to plan a balanced diet, a higher-carb training day, or a lower-carb approach. It works from calories you already know, so pair it with a calorie or TDEE calculator first.

How this is calculated

Carbohydrates supply 4 calories per gram, the Atwater factor used on nutrition labels. The calculator multiplies your daily calories by the carb percentage to get carb calories, divides by 4 to get grams, and divides again by the number of meals for a per-meal target. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest 45 to 65 percent of calories from carbohydrate for most adults.

How to use

  1. Enter your daily calorie target.
  2. Enter the percentage of calories you want from carbohydrate.
  3. Enter how many meals you eat, then read grams per day and per meal.

Examples

  • 2,000 cal, 50% carbs, 3 meals: 250 g/day, about 83 g/meal
  • 2,500 cal, 40% carbs, 4 meals: 250 g/day, 62.5 g/meal

FAQ

How many calories are in a gram of carbohydrate?
Carbohydrate provides about 4 calories per gram, the same as protein. Fat provides 9 calories per gram. These are the Atwater factors used for food labels.
What carb percentage should I use?
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend 45 to 65 percent of calories from carbohydrate for most adults. Endurance athletes often go higher, while low-carb diets go well below that range.
Where do I get my calorie target?
Use a maintenance calorie or TDEE estimate, then adjust up or down for your goal. Enter that number here to translate it into daily carbohydrate grams.

Embed this calculator

Add this free calculator to your own site. Copy the code and paste it where you want it to appear.