Enter the near-infrared value and the shortwave-infrared value into the calculator to determine the normalized burn ratio (NBR).

NBR Formula

The following formula is used to calculate a normalized burn ratio:

NBR = (NIR-SWIR) / (NIR + SWIR)

  • Where NBR is the normalized burn ratio
  • NIR is the near-infrared light value
  • SWIR is the shortwave infrared value

NBR Definition

What is NBR?

NBR, short for normalized burn ratio, is a measure of the total vegetation that is burned over an area based on the near-infrared and shortwave infrared values being collected by satellites.

Example Problem

How to calculate NBR?

First, determine the value of the near-infrared light. For this example, the NIR is found to be .85.

Next, determine the shortwave infrared light value. For this example, the SWIR value is found to be .65.

Finally, calculate the NBR using the formula above:

NBR = (NIR-SWIR) / (NIR + SWIR)

NBR = (.85-.65) / (.85+.65)

NBR = .1333