How to use the burn depth feature check
Choose what you can see for four features — blanching on pressure, blisters, sensation and appearance — and the page tallies how many of them overlap with each of the four published burn depth descriptions. Anything you leave as not sure is dropped from the tally, and the denominator shown is the number of features you actually entered.
The depth descriptions come from clinical guidance and a secondary source that separate depth by blanching, blisters and sensation. A full-thickness burn is described as having destroyed capillaries so color does not return, with a painless center and edges that may hurt. The sources do not describe blisters for full-thickness burns, so the blister entry is never counted as a match for that row. Current as of October 2026.
This page does not settle a depth, and it does not calculate body surface area or fluid volume. Sources state that burn depth can be misjudged and must be reassessed over time, and the body surface area threshold for starting fluid resuscitation is left out because sources give different values. The match count is not a score and carries no weighting. This is not a medical diagnosis; a burn that does not blanch or has reduced sensation needs emergency care without delay.
Frequently asked questions
No. This page covers depth descriptions only. The body surface area threshold for starting fluid resuscitation is also left out because sources give different values for it.
No. The match count only tallies how many of your entries overlap with each published description. Sources state that burn depth can be misjudged and has to be reassessed over time, so this page does not settle a depth.
Press the burned skin gently and watch whether the spot turns pale and then refills with color when you lift your finger. Capillaries are destroyed in a full-thickness burn, so color is described as not returning.