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Resting Respiratory Rate Norm Calculator

Compare breaths per minute against the normal range for that age group.

Result

18–30 breaths/min
Above normal (tachypnea)
School age (6–11 years)

How it is calculated

The tool is a lookup, not a calculation. Age in years (decimals such as 0.5 are fine) selects a band, and your counted breaths per minute are compared with that band: under 1 year 30 to 60; 1 to under 3 years 24 to 40; 3 to under 6 years 22 to 34; 6 to under 12 years 18 to 30; 12 to under 18 years 12 to 16; 18 and over 12 to 20. A rate below the band is labelled bradypnea, above it tachypnea, otherwise within normal range. If the rate is empty or zero, only the normal range is shown with a prompt to enter a measured rate. Ages must be between 0 and 120, and a counted rate below 2 or above 150 breaths per minute shows no result. The bands are general teaching ranges, and clinics may use slightly different ones.

Worked example

An 8-year-old child is counted at 34 breaths per minute at rest. Age 8 falls in the 6 to 11 years group, so the tool shows 18–30 breaths/min as the normal range and School age (6–11 years) as the group. The measured 34 is above the upper limit of 30, so the status reads Above normal (tachypnea). The same count would be normal for a 4-year-old (22 to 34), which shows why the age matters. If you leave the rate empty, the tool simply asks for a measured rate.

Try this example →

Common mistakes

  • Counting breaths for only a few seconds and multiplying; a short count of a child who is awake and moving gives a rate far above the resting value.
  • Entering the heart rate instead of the breathing rate: a pulse of 80 would be labelled above normal for an adult.
  • Entering a baby's age as a whole month number (6) instead of years (0.5): 6 is read as 6 years and the school-age range is shown.
  • Counting each inhale and exhale as two breaths, which doubles the rate.
  • Assuming the adult band continues down to 12 years: from 12 to 17 the upper limit is 16, not 20, so a teenager at 18 breaths is above the tool's range.

Sources

About this calculator

Normal resting respiratory rate — breaths per minute while at rest — changes dramatically with age: a newborn breathes around 30-60 times per minute, a toddler around 24-40, a school-age child around 18-30, an adolescent around 12-16, and an adult typically settles into 12-20 breaths per minute. This wide age dependence is why a rate that's completely normal for an infant would be alarming in an adult, and vice versa.

Nurses and pediatricians use age-specific respiratory rate ranges as a routine vital-sign check, since respiratory rate is one of the earliest indicators to change when someone is developing a fever, respiratory infection, or in more serious cases, sepsis or respiratory distress — clinical early-warning scores like PEWS (Pediatric Early Warning Score) weight an abnormal respiratory rate heavily precisely because it tends to shift before other vitals do.

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