Ideal Weight Calculator

See your ideal body weight by the four formulas doctors use most, next to the healthy BMI range for your height. The ideal weight calculator lists every result in kg or lb.

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Sex
Units

Ideal weight range
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For general information. Not medical advice.

How to use the Ideal Weight Calculator

  1. Choose your Sex.
  2. Enter your height in centimetres, or in feet and inches.
  3. Press Calculate. The range the formulas span comes first, then each formula and the healthy BMI range.

How it works

Let h be your height in inches over 5 feet.

Devine (1974):    men 50 + 2.3h     women 45.5 + 2.3h
Robinson (1983):  men 52 + 1.9h     women 49 + 1.7h
Miller (1983):    men 56.2 + 1.41h  women 53.1 + 1.36h
Hamwi (1964):     men 48 + 2.7h     women 45.5 + 2.2h
BMI range:        18.5 × height(m)² to 24.9 × height(m)²

Results are in kilograms. 1 kg = 2.2046 lb.

Examples

  • Male, 180 cm: that is 70.87 inches, so h = 10.87. Devine gives 50 + 2.3 × 10.87 = 75.0 kg. The four formulas span 71.5 to 77.3 kg.
  • Female, 165 cm (h = 4.96): Devine gives 56.9 kg and Robinson 57.4 kg.

Why four different answers?

None of these formulas was built to define a perfect weight. Devine wrote his in 1974 to dose medicines, and the others were fitted to life-insurance tables of the time. They agree near average heights and drift apart for very tall or short people.

Treat the span as a rough target, and give more weight to how you feel, your waist size, and your doctor's advice.

Limitations

  • The formulas start at 5 ft (152.4 cm). Below that height only the BMI range is shown.
  • They ignore frame size, muscle, and age.
  • For drug dosing, follow the formula your clinical guideline names.

Frequently asked questions

Which ideal weight formula is best?

None is clearly best. Devine is the most widely used in medicine, and the BMI range is the one most health guidelines refer to.

Does ideal weight depend on age?

The four formulas do not use age. Healthy ranges for older adults are sometimes set a little higher, so ask your doctor.

What is my ideal weight if I am under 5 feet?

The formulas were not designed for that height, so the calculator shows the BMI 18.5-24.9 range instead.

Often used together with the Ideal Weight Calculator.