BP LogMAP and pulse pressure calculator
Average one to three readings, then see pulse pressure and mean arterial pressure (MAP), worked out the same way as the BP Log app.
Pulse pressure, MAP and average calculator
Enter one to three readings. Each number is averaged on its own, then pulse pressure and mean arterial pressure (MAP) are worked out from the average.
For education only. Your doctor reads these alongside your full history.
What these numbers are
Pulse pressure is the gap between your top and bottom numbers. It reflects how hard the heart pushes with each beat and how stiff the large arteries are. Mean arterial pressure is an estimate of the average pressure in your arteries across a whole heartbeat. Hospitals watch MAP closely; at home it is mostly a number of interest rather than one the guideline uses to set categories.
Our guide to pulse pressure and mean arterial pressure covers what is typical and when a wide gap is worth mentioning to your doctor.
How it is calculated
- Average: the top numbers and the bottom numbers are each averaged and rounded to whole mmHg.
- Pulse pressure = average top number minus average bottom number.
- MAP = average bottom number + pulse pressure / 3, shown to one decimal.
These are the same functions the BP Log app uses. The calculator does not name a category; for that, use the category checker.
Common questions
How do you calculate mean arterial pressure (MAP)?
MAP is the bottom number plus one third of the pulse pressure. For 120/80, pulse pressure is 40, a third of that is 13.3, so MAP is 93.3 mmHg.
What is pulse pressure?
Pulse pressure is the top number minus the bottom number. For 130/85 it is 45 mmHg.
Why is MAP not simply the average of the two numbers?
At a resting heart rate, the heart spends roughly two thirds of each beat relaxing, at pressures closer to the bottom number. The one-third formula weights MAP toward the diastolic number to reflect that. It is an estimate; monitors and hospital equipment may calculate it differently.
Why average each number on its own?
That is how home readings are averaged in guidelines and in the BP Log app: all the top numbers together, all the bottom numbers together, then pulse pressure and MAP from those averages.
- Muntner P, et al. Measurement of Blood Pressure in Humans: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association (Hypertension, 2019): How to measure; home protocol of 2 readings a minute apart, morning and evening, for 7 days; cuff sizes by arm circumference; white coat and masked hypertension definitions; home 130/80 corresponds to office 130/80
- Jones DW, et al. 2025 AHA/ACC/AANP/AAPA/ABC/ACCP/ACPM/AGS/AMA/ASPC/NMA/PCNA/SGIM Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults (Circulation, 2025): Blood pressure categories (normal under 120/80, elevated 120 to 129 and under 80, stage 1 130 to 139 or 80 to 89, stage 2 140 or 90 and higher); the higher category counts when the two numbers disagree; severe hypertension above 180/120; PREVENT for risk estimation
The free iPhone app times two readings a minute apart, averages them, keeps your morning and evening numbers apart, and builds a report for your doctor.
Other ways to track: desktop, Excel and printable logs