Elemental Composition of the Human Body by Mass

Typical Elements in a Person

The most abundant element in the human body by mass is oxygen.
The most abundant element in the human body by mass is oxygen. MEHAU KULYK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Getty Images
By
Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Chemistry Expert
  • Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
  • B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College
Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels.
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Updated on February 03, 2019

This is a table of the elemental composition of the human body by mass for a 70 kg (154 lb) person. The values for any particular person may be different, especially for the trace elements. Also, the element composition does not scale linearly. For example, a person who is half the mass may not contain half the amount of a given element. The molar amount of the most abundant elements is given in the table. You may also wish to view the element composition of the human body in terms of mass percent.

Reference: Emsley, John, The Elements, 3rd ed., Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1998

Table of Elements in the Human Body by Mass

oxygen 43 kg (61%, 2700 mol)
carbon 16 kg (23%, 1300 mol)
hydrogen 7 kg (10%, 6900 mol)
nitrogen 1.8 kg (2.5%, 129 mol)
calcium 1.0 kg (1.4%, 25 mol)
phosphorus 780 g (1.1%, 25 mol)
potassium 140 g (0.20%, 3.6 mol)
sulfur 140 g (0.20%, 4.4 mol)
sodium 100 g (0.14%, 4.3 mol)
chlorine 95 g (0.14%, 2.7 mol)
magnesium 19 g (0.03%, 0.78 mol)
iron 4.2 g
fluorine 2.6 g
zinc 2.3 g
silicon 1.0 g
rubidium 0.68 g
strontium 0.32 g
bromine 0.26 g
lead 0.12 g
copper 72 mg
aluminum 60 mg
cadmium 50 mg
cerium 40 mg
barium 22 mg
iodine 20 mg
tin 20 mg
titanium 20 mg
boron 18 mg
nickel 15 mg
selenium 15 mg
chromium 14 mg
manganese 12 mg
arsenic 7 mg
lithium 7 mg
cesium 6 mg
mercury 6 mg
germanium 5 mg
molybdenum 5 mg
cobalt 3 mg
antimony 2 mg
silver 2 mg
niobium 1.5 mg
zirconium 1 mg
lanthanum 0.8 mg
gallium 0.7 mg
tellurium 0.7 mg
yttrium 0.6 mg
bismuth 0.5 mg
thallium 0.5 mg
indium 0.4 mg
gold 0.2 mg
scandium 0.2 mg
tantalum 0.2 mg
vanadium 0.11 mg
thorium 0.1 mg
uranium 0.1 mg
samarium 50 µg
beryllium 36 µg
tungsten 20 µg
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Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Elemental Composition of the Human Body by Mass." ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/elemental-composition-human-body-by-mass-608192. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2020, August 27). Elemental Composition of the Human Body by Mass. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/elemental-composition-human-body-by-mass-608192 Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Elemental Composition of the Human Body by Mass." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/elemental-composition-human-body-by-mass-608192 (accessed April 23, 2024).