How many calories are in a tuna sub?
A 6-inch tuna sub on white bread with lettuce and tomato weighs 237 g and carries 517 calories. Per 100 g the whole sandwich averages 218 calories, roll included. Order it as a footlong and you are at 1,033. The tuna itself is lean; the mayonnaise it is mixed with is not.
You'd need to walk about 103 minutes to burn the 517 calories in a 6-inch sub (237 g).
How long does it take to burn off a tuna sub?
A 6-inch sub (237 g) is 517 kcal. Enter your weight and the amount you ate to see how long it takes you to burn that off:
lb
| Activity | Time to burn 517 kcal |
|---|---|
| Walking, brisk | 1 hr 43 min |
| Cycling, moderate | 1 hr 5 min |
| Swimming, moderate | 1 hr 14 min |
| Jogging | 1 hr 1 min |
| Weight training, moderate | 1 hr 55 min |
Times are for a 155 lb adult at a steady pace; change the weight to see yours. The amount is set to the portion in the text (237 g); change it to what you actually ate. BodyPal works this out from your steps automatically.
On this page
- Tuna sub quick facts
- US servings, from one ounce to a footlong
- Chain-style subs and the footlong
- Sodium is the row to watch
- How does a tuna sub compare?
- FAQ
Tuna sub quick facts
The record used here is SR Legacy 170299, "Fast foods, submarine sandwich, tuna on white bread with lettuce and tomato". It covers the sandwich most people are actually holding: a deli or shop-made sub, tuna bound with mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato, nothing else. There is a separate chain record, and it sits a hair higher; that one gets its own section below.
Everything in the table is for the sandwich as assembled. There is no separate roll row and no separate tuna row, so the bread's carbohydrate and the dressing's fat are already blended into every figure.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per 6-inch sub (237 g) | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 218 | 517 | — |
| Total fat | 12.04 g | 28.5 g | 37% |
| Saturated fat | 2.06 g | 4.9 g | 24% |
| Carbohydrate | 15.95 g | 37.8 g | 14% |
| Dietary fiber | 0.7 g | 1.7 g | 6% |
| Total sugars | 1.93 g | 4.6 g | — |
| Protein | 12.33 g | 29.2 g | 58% |
| Sodium | 329 mg | 780 mg | 34% |
| Cholesterol | 28 mg | 66 mg | 22% |
| Potassium | 177 mg | 419 mg | 9% |
% Daily Value is based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
Verified nutrition data
Numbers on this page come from USDA FoodData Central, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food composition database, and from manufacturer labels where a branded product is named. Last verified September 2026. How we verify our data →
There is no added sugars row because USDA does not publish added sugars for this record. The 4.6 g of total sugars in a 6-inch is mostly the bread and the tomato, not sweetener. Daily Value percentages follow the FDA reference amounts for a 2,000-calorie day.
US servings, from one ounce to a footlong
| Serving | Weight | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 1 oz | 28 g | 62 kcal |
| Half of a 6-inch sub | 118.5 g | 258 kcal |
| One 6-inch sub | 237 g | 517 kcal |
| One 12-inch footlong sub | 474 g | 1033 kcal |
| Per 100 g | 100 g | 218 kcal |
The 237 g 6-inch is the USDA serving for this record. The ounce, the half and the footlong are our own arithmetic from the USDA 100 g figure, not USDA servings: a footlong is simply the 6-inch doubled, since the shop builds it with twice the roll and twice the scoop.
That doubling is where the sandwich turns into something else. A 6-inch is a 517-calorie lunch, roughly a quarter of a 2,000-calorie day. A footlong is 1,033, which is more than most people budget for dinner. Splitting one and wrapping the second half is the single change that moves this food the most.
Weight matters more than length, too. Sub rolls are not standardized, and a bakery roll that runs heavy will push a "6-inch" past 237 g. If your sandwich feels dense, weigh it once and scale from the 218 calories per 100 g line rather than trusting the label on the case.
Chain-style subs and the footlong
| Version | Per 100 g | Typical piece | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deli tuna sub, white bread | 218 kcal | 6-inch sub, 237 g | 517 kcal |
| Chain tuna sub, white bread | 221 kcal | 6-inch sub, 237 g | 524 kcal |
| Footlong deli tuna sub | 218 kcal | 12-inch sub, 474 g | 1033 kcal |
USDA keeps a second record for the chain version, and the gap is seven calories on a 6-inch. Protein, carbohydrate and total fat are identical between the two; the only other figure that moves is saturated fat, 2.19 g per 100 g against 2.06 g, which is the mayonnaise recipe rather than the fish. Anyone choosing between the deli counter and the chain on calories alone is splitting hairs.
The footlong is the variant that actually changes your day. At 474 g it brings 58.4 g of protein, which is 117% of the 50 g Daily Value, alongside 57.1 g of fat, or 73% of the fat Daily Value, and 1,560 mg of sodium. One sandwich covering a full day of protein sounds like a win until you notice the fat and salt arrive on the same plate.
USDA has no record for a tuna sub built without mayonnaise, or one on wheat bread, so those numbers are not on this page. Scaling by weight from the 100 g figure is the honest workaround, and a dry-packed tuna sandwich will land under it.
Sodium is the row to watch
Calories are not the interesting number here. A 6-inch tuna sub is 26% of a 2,000-calorie day, but its 780 mg of sodium is 34% of the 2,300 mg Daily Value: eight percentage points more of your salt budget than your calorie budget. That is roughly a third of a teaspoon of table salt in one sandwich.
The footlong takes sodium to 1,560 mg, 68% of a day, and that is before pickles, a bag of chips or a soup on the side. If you are watching sodium, the 6-inch with a piece of fruit is the better build than the footlong with anything.
Protein is the row that earns the sandwich its place. At 29.2 g in a 6-inch, it covers 58% of the Daily Value, and canned tuna is one of the seafood choices MyPlate counts toward the weekly protein-foods target. Saturated fat stays modest at 4.9 g, 24% of the Daily Value, because most of the 28.5 g of fat comes from soybean-oil mayonnaise rather than anything solid.
Fiber is where the white roll shows up: 1.7 g in a whole 6-inch, only 6% of the 28 g Daily Value. Lettuce and tomato look green but weigh almost nothing.
How does a tuna sub compare?
| Sandwich | Per 100 g | Protein per 100 g | US serving | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuna sub, white bread | 218 kcal | 12.33 g | 6-inch sub, 237 g | 517 kcal |
| Meatball marinara sub | 219 kcal | 9.77 g | 237 g, our arithmetic | 519 kcal |
| Grilled chicken bacon club | 220 kcal | 17.19 g | 237 g, our arithmetic | 521 kcal |
| Grilled chicken in a tortilla | 222 kcal | 13.77 g | 237 g, our arithmetic | 526 kcal |
Matched at the same 237 g so the comparison is fair, these four land within nine calories of each other. The neighbors' servings are our own arithmetic from their USDA 100 g figures, since each record carries a different native portion.
Our take: choosing a sub by calories is a waste of effort, because the sandwich case is essentially flat at 218 to 222 calories per 100 g. Choose by what you want the calories to do. For protein per calorie, the grilled chicken club leads at 17.19 g per 100 g, the grilled chicken in a tortilla follows at 13.77 g and the tuna sub is next at 12.33 g. For fullness on a smaller build, tuna beats the meatball sub, which is a calorie apart but carries 26.01 g of carbohydrate against tuna's 15.95 g and 2.6 g less protein per 100 g. The one lever that actually matters is size: half a tuna sub at 258 calories, not a different filling.
Tuna sub FAQs
How many calories are in a 6-inch tuna sub?
A 6-inch tuna sub on white bread with lettuce and tomato weighs 237 g and carries 517 calories, at 218 calories per 100 g. That is about 26% of a 2,000-calorie day. The mayonnaise-bound tuna, not the roll, is what pushes total fat to 28.5 g.
How many calories are in a footlong tuna sub?
A 12-inch footlong is 1,033 calories, double the 6-inch, because 474 g is simply twice the weight. It also carries 58.4 g of protein, 57.1 g of fat and 1,560 mg of sodium. That protein figure is 117% of the Daily Value, and the sodium is 68%.
How much protein is in a tuna sub?
A 6-inch tuna sub has 29.2 g of protein, which is 58% of the 50 g Daily Value. Per 100 g the sandwich runs 12.33 g. Canned tuna and its dressing do most of that work, while the white roll contributes only a small share.
How much sodium is in a tuna sub?
A 6-inch tuna sub has 780 mg of sodium, 34% of the 2,300 mg Daily Value and roughly a third of a teaspoon of table salt. The footlong doubles that to 1,560 mg, or 68% of a day, before any side, pickle or soda.
Is a tuna sub healthy?
At 517 calories, 29.2 g of protein and 780 mg of sodium, a 6-inch tuna sub works as a real lunch rather than a snack. The protein is the strong part at 58% of the Daily Value. Sodium at 34% and 28.5 g of fat are the figures worth watching.
Is a tuna sub better than a meatball sub?
Per 100 g they are one calorie apart: 218 for tuna, 219 for meatball marinara. Matched at 237 g, that is 517 against 519 calories. Tuna leads on protein, 12.33 g against 9.77 g per 100 g, while the meatball sub carries 26.01 g of carbohydrate against 15.95 g.
How many calories are in half a tuna sub?
Half of a 6-inch sub is about 118.5 g and 258 calories, our own arithmetic from the USDA 100 g figure rather than a USDA serving. You still get 14.6 g of protein and 390 mg of sodium, which is 17% of the Daily Value for sodium.
How many calories are in a Subway-style tuna sub?
A chain-style tuna sub on white bread is 221 calories per 100 g, so the same 237 g sandwich comes to 524 calories, seven more than the generic deli record. Fat and protein match exactly; only saturated fat shifts, 2.19 g against 2.06 g per 100 g.
Similar foods
- Hash Brown — 119 cal per patty
- Skirt Steak — 187 cal for 3 oz cooked
- Chicken Taco — 222 cal per taco
- Chuck Steak — 360 cal per steak
- Dosa — 326 cal per large dosa
- Flat iron steak — 391 cal per steak
Count it without the math
Point the camera at the sandwich and BodyPal counts it for you, mayo and all.
